


Ryo and Hakan

by bandhoez9194



Series: The Balavens [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Adorable, Angry Kissing, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Torture, Bottom Dan Howell, Character Death, Crossover Pairings, Cute Dan Howell/Phil Lester, Dan Howell and Phil Lester Are Parents, Dan Howell/Phil Lester in Love, Distance, Dom Phil Lester, Dom/sub, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Gay, Except A Couple People, F/M, Fear of Discovery, Fire Powers, Fluff and Smut, Gay Phil Lester, How Do I Tag, Hurt Dan Howell, Ice Powers, Kidnapping, M/M, Magical Bond, Minor Character Death, Minor Chris Kendall/PJ Liguori, Minor Injuries, Multifandom AU Drabble Meme, Multiple Pairings, Oh God Yes, POV Phil Lester, Phanfiction, Phil Needs a Hug, Protective Phil, Protectiveness, Rare Fandoms, Revenge, Serious Injuries, Supernatural Elements, Tags Are Hard, These people are fudging badass, Top Phil Lester, Torture, YouTubers - Freeform, boom - Freeform, do I look desperate enough yet?, exploding death, first long story on here woo!, from wattpad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 04:04:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 57,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10959279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bandhoez9194/pseuds/bandhoez9194
Summary: Ryo - {male} RiverHakan - {male} of the Fire"Hakan, I'm scared.""Don't worry Ryo, I won't let anyone hurt you."Dan and Phil. Ryo and Hakan. Two men trying to make it in a world where normal people without special abilities are terrified of the Balavens, the people with abilities.Phil gets taken, experimented on by men who want to take the Balavens and then them into normal people. Two months later, Dan is taken by the same people.Determination, friends, and family are all the two have. And when the experiments have lasting effects, will Phil be able to keep his promise to Dan in protecting him? Or will something terrible happen?





	1. Prologue: Origins

**_two months earlier_ **

It started when I was a kid. I was only 5 years old when my first manifestation happened, and thankfully, I had been alone. I'd heard about what happened to people who had abilities, who were _different_ from the normals. I didn't want that to happen to me.

I kept my secret well hidden, up until I turned 22 years old and met Dan Howell. We hit it off immediately, but I knew he had a secret. His brown eyes were scared, his smiles forced, and he was always alone. I never once heard him mention his mother or father, but he had mentioned a brother.

He moved in with me a couple years later, and I'd witnessed him playing in a pool, doing things I'd never expected. He'd made a miniature water spout in the pool, a true smile on his face as he watched it swirl around him. I knew then that he was like me, and that I could trust him with my secret.

I went into his room that night, and spoke to him. His face had paled as I told him I knew what he was, but then seemed to light up as I told him I was the same. He'd asked me to demonstrate what I could do, so I brought him to a room I always had locked, and the only way to open it was my touch.

I faced him and asked, "Would you be able to dampen my power? We complement each other, we could work together." He frowned curiously but nodded slowly, watching me slightly apprehensively.

I took a breath and reached for that orb inside my chest, a forever constant pulse of warmth and tugged a small strand of it. I summoned it to my palms and the dim lighting of the room lit up as two red hot flames appeared in my palms, making the younger boy gasp.

I carefully had the flame float above my palm, moving it closer to Dan, but not too close. "Can you put it out?" I asked curiously and he nodded, awe shining in his eyes. His fingers twitched and suddenly an orb of water appeared next to my flame, flattening out to form a plate like shape. It curved around my flame before collapsing inwards, effectively extinguishing my flame.

He was smiling happily, this one also a true smile. The second one I'd ever had the blessing to witness. "We need names," I said softly and he looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked softly and I walked over, taking his hand in mine.

"So we can talk about it in public, if one or the other is having trouble. Kind of like our alter egos," I replied and he nodded slowly. "You're Hakan," he whispered and I tilted my head curiously. "Hakan?" I asked and he smiled softly. "It means 'of the fire'," he said and I thought for a second before nodding appreciatively.

"Then you're Ryo," I said and he gave me a curious look, making me smile. "It means River," I said and he giggled. I smiled softly at him and carefully tugged him out of the room and to mine. They were already in their pyjamas so I just tugged him down into the bed beside me. I'd never really cuddled someone before, terrified I wouldn't be able to control my ability, but now I had someone I knew I wouldn't hurt.

Dan fell asleep against my chest, a faint smile on his lips. I kissed his forehead, always have been drawn to the younger boy. I rested my head against his and closed my eyes, ignoring the bad feeling in my chest.

I fell asleep, feeling the soft puffs of air against my collarbone and the steady pulse of his heart against my chest.

We were awoken a couple hours later from the front door being kicked open and a can flying into the room spewing smoke. I stood up and quickly pushed Dan behind me, igniting my fire and feeling a ripple in the air behind me showing that he had manifested his power too.

"Get them!" a man shouted and I panicked, not wanting anyone to hurt my Dan. I shot a fire ball at the voice but even as I heard the guy shout out in pain a small _pinch_ appeared in my neck and I gasped, the fire estinguishing as I fell to my knees.

"Phil!" Dan cried, kneeling next to me and quickly pulling out the dart from my neck. "Run, Dan. You can hide in the specialised room, it's programmed now to take your touch. Go, before they get you. You can hide, they have heat sensing goggles. Cool yourself down," I ordered breathlessly and he let out a small sob.

"No, I'm not leaving you, Phil," he said and I lifted my hand, placing it on his cheek. "Now," I said faintly and he shook his head. I summoned a small flame and pressed it to his fingers. The heat covered him then separated from him, making a small form that looked similar to Dan.

"I'm scared, Hakan," he whispered and I pressed my fingers to his cheek. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you, Ryo," I replied and then made the figure rush down the hallway in the opposite direction of my safe room. "This will distract them, go!" I ordered again and he hesitated. His fingers brushed my cheek before kissing me softly and quickly, barely lingering before pulling away and cooling himself down. I could feel unconsciousness creeping over me but fought to keep my eyes open, hoping to be able to see Dan escape.

He made it out the door and I felt the wards around my secret room open and close briefly, showing me Dan had made it safely. I fell to my side as the darkness grew stronger, my mind holding tightly to the feeling of Dan's lips against mine.

I closed my eyes and let the darkness creep over me, hearing several men rush into the room and pick me up. I didn't know what was going to happen to me, but as long as Dan was safe, I would be fine.

 


	2. Chapter 1: Experiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakan (Phil) has been tortured for 2 months, trying to keep Ryo (Dan) from being captured. Unfortunately that plan didn't work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be torture in this chapter, so yeah. but there will be cuteness too so, enjoy!!

Today

Two months. That's how long I'd been stuck in this lab, starving and barely surviving. The only thing keeping me going was that kiss Dan had given me the last time I'd seen him. They hadn't found him yet, and I was thankful for that. The things I'd been through, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, especially not my best friend and love interest.

I shivered in the small containment cell I was in. I only wore the clothes I had been wearing when they took me, which was a thin white - or now dark grey - shirt and a thin pair of linen bottoms. I couldn't even call my fire to me, something they inject into my arm preventing it. I curled up into a ball, knowing I could get maybe an hour of sleep before they came back for me.

I drifted off into restless nightmares about Dan getting brought in, the tubes and wires sticking out from his stomach and arms like they did me, or even worse, Dan being the one torturing me. The door on the cell banged open and I gasped, jerking awake from my unsettling dreams and shot up, cowering against the wall.

"Now now, Hakan, let's not do that. You know we only want to help you get rid of this curse," the main doctor, Dr. Malachi, said, his tone as if he were talking to a 5 year old, not a 29 year old. I glared at him and spat at his shoes, stiffening my spine. I'd told them my name was Hakan, hoping that if I used that name and not my actual name, it would be harder to find Dan.

The doctor tutted, turning around and gesturing at me to the two people next to him. They nodded and walked in towards me, stun rods in their hands. My psuedobravado disappeared and I shrank away from glinting silver, my nerves twitching with memory of their touch.  
The man was closer to me but I kept an eye on the woman, knowing she didn't care about zapping me. She did it almost everytime, and I hated it. I tried to summon my fire but nothing happened, just a slight stirring in my chest where that heated pulse should be. 

A feeling as if someone had just jammed a heated iron from my fingertips to my shoulder appeared, making me scream and jerk back, my fire trying to react defensively but just sputtering out. I whimpered as my scream came to an end, collapsing to the floor. The two assistants took my arms and dragged me out to the observational room.

They strapped me to the lifted bed table, leaving me no room to move a centimetre. Just as they started their typical opening torture, someone rushed in and said, "Sir! They've found the water boy!" My heart dropped when he said that, terror and protectiveness filling my veins as the doctor turned around eagerly.

"Bring him here immediately," he said and the man nodded, leaving the room in a quick walk. Dr. Malachi turned to me and smiled satisfied. "It seems that you won't need to tell me anything today, your friend is already here," he said happily and I spat into his face, making him reel back.

Normally, I would have never done something like that, I was raised to treat everyone with kindness, but after the torture I'd endured these last two months, I didn't care anymore. He didn't deserve my kindness, and I knew that if he laid even one finger on my Dan, I would personally burn his body to a crisp.

"Let me go! Stop!" Dan's voice shouted and my heart sped up and dropped at the same time, causing my chest to ache. He was brought in, a bruise forming on his temple and his face pale. He saw me and paled even further, horror filling his eyes.

"Hakan," he whispered and I gave him a faint smile, my face hurting. "Ryo," I replied softly but before anything else could be said, Dr. Malachi walked closer to Dan and walked around him. "He's strong, I can see that. His power is great, how is the serum working?" he asked, examining Dan as if he were an interesting science project rather than a person.

"It's held for three hours so far, and doesn't seem to be wearing off. He hasn't tried much past trying to hit us and curse us out quite a bit," he said and I grinned proudly at the younger boy, who's eyes lit up proudly as he noticed me smile.

My arms were starting to ache from the upward stretch they were in, my legs growing stiff from being unable to move them. But I would deal with it as long as Dan was alright, as long as they didn't touch him.

"Bring him to Hakan's cell, we'll leave him there for tonight while we work a little more on Hakan. Then we'll switch," Dr. Malachi said and I gasped. "No! Take me, only me, don't hurt him!" I cried and Dan looked at me in horror, tears gathering in his eyes.

Dr. Malachi looked at me curiously but studied me. "Possibly. We won't switch out tonight then, but that means you're getting a double session today," he said and I swallowed scared but nodded, knowing I needed to do this to protect Dan. Dan's brown eyes watched me worriedly as they dragged him down the hallway to the cells.

Once he was gone, Dr. Malachi and his main assistant, Gregory Jackson, moved closer with their strange silver rods. A single glance at them, and one might think that they're harmless, but I knew their touch. I knew the feeling of cool metal pressed against overheated skin, the feeling of the electricity running through my nerves and bones.

Dr. Malachi placed pads on my chest, right where my power orb rested in between my lungs. Then he wrapped a metal band around my forehead and felt a pin stab into my skin, but not quite breaking the bone. Then I felt another one stab the other side and whimpered, having not quite healed from the last time he did this last week.

"Give him the antidote," Dr. Malachi said and Jackson moved closer, plunging a needle into the crook of my elbow. I felt the liquid seep into my veins and winced, not liking the way it felt. I felt the invisible chains around my power disappear and I felt the relief as I reconnected with my magick. 

"Session 30, we're about to see how his body reacts when he uses his power," Dr. Malachi said into his recorder and then turned to me. "Hakan, throw a flame to the middle of the room," he ordered and instead I carefully focused my magic to heat up the soles of both doctor's shoes, making them go from comfortable to as if walking on hot coals in half a second.

Both of them cursed and I grinned satisfied until I felt Jackson's hand backhand me. I lost grip on my power and the soles of their shoes cooled down but not completely. I had a single flame working at melting the metal on the chains around my wrists and ankles, knowing that after two months, they should be pretty fragile by now.

They had me do several tests, though I only participated in one and fought back during the other fifty. The only thing that did though was cause more pain, but still some satisfaction that I could bolster their attempts at figuring me out. 

The three hours I was in there seemed to last a lifetime, feeling many tremors run through my body after the multiple shocks I'd been given. I had blood coming from my nose, the third backhand to my face breaking it and I occasionally spit blood into the doctors faces.

"Take him back to his cell, we won't be getting much more today," Dr. Malachi said bored and a few moments later, the chains holding me up undid and I fell to the floor. The two doctors who'd taken Dan away earlier walked over and once again dragged me down the hallway and to the cell.

They banged a police rod against the bars, sending a shooting pain through my head. "Hakan?" I heard softly and I lifted my head as the two doctors threw me into the cell, locking the door behind me. 

I rested my head on the floor, unable to feel much other than pain. I heard someone move closer and couldn't help but flinch. "It's just me love," Dan whispered softly, carefully adjusting me so I was now leaning against his chest, the warmth from his body filling me.

"How did you get caught?" I asked faintly and he sighed. "They tracked a phone call. I'd been using disposable phones every chance I got, barely leaving the safe room these last two months. I called an old friend, knowing he had contacts that might help me find you or someone who could help, but they managed to find my number and track me," he whispered and I nodded, wincing at the pain.

"Here, I can help," he said softly and I frowned at him. "What do you mean?" I asked and he said, "I've been faking that the medicine their giving me is working. It only worked for about a half hour and I'm at full strength right now." 

I blinked surprised. "It works mostly on me. They have to dose me every few hours," I said and winced as my nose protested. He reached out to the water bottle the doctors made sure to keep in the room and a small trickle of water came from it, soaking his hand. He ran his hand over my nose and I felt a quick crunch as my nose fixed, then he ran a hand down my chest, healing the many welts and bruises formed there.

I sighed relieved and took his hand into mine, twining our fingers together. I'd missed him, but even if I had to suffer being away from him, I didn't want him here. "You shouldn't be here," I whispered and he sighed, resting his head on mine. "I know, but I didn't mean to get caught. But I do have a few people out there looking for us. Did you know PJ and Chris are like us?" he asked and I shifted slightly, looking at him surprised.

"Really?" I asked and he nodded. "Tyler and Louise too, but they've gone missing three weeks ago. PJ believes they're here. Also, PJ is Aaban, Chris is Ohanzee, Louise is Linaeve and Tyler is Cheveyo, that way people won't know who we're talking about," he said and I nodded.

"So, Linaeve and Cheveyo are here?" I asked softly and he nodded. "Aaban, Ohanzee and I have gotten into the habit of calling them Eve and Chev, then Ban for Aaban and Zee for Ohanzee. I'm still Ryo and you're still Hakan," he said and I nodded thoughtfully. 

"What are they?" I asked and he replied softly, "Ban is an angel technically, he has wings that he can call. Otherwise their invisible and he can also heal people by touch. Zee is, well, I don't know what to call it. He can manipulate shadows, demons and spirits. Eve has the nature touch, she can control plants and Chev is a spirit warrior."

I laughed lightly at the thought of sweet, fabulous Tyler Oakley turning into a ferocious, dangerous spirit warrior. I winced again and yawned, making Dan chuckle softly. "Sleep darling, I'll watch over you. I don't think I'll be sleeping soon," he said and I nodded, clutching his hand tightly in mine. 

He kissed my forehead and I smiled, letting myself drift off. For the first time in two months, I didn't dream. My sleep was undisturbed, calm, and it was thanks to the beautiful brown eyed boy holding me as I slept. 

But I also knew that he shouldn't be here, but now that I knew Tyler and Louise, two of the softest people I knew, were here, I knew I would need all the help I could get to get them out. And Dan was one of the strongest people I knew, we could make it.


	3. Chapter 2: Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil gets free from his captors and goes and rescues his friends and a few others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Torture, some violence, but you also get to see a few of your favourites! Yush

**two weeks later**

  
Dan had been here for two weeks, and so far he'd only been experimented on three times. I'd taken his other four times needed, making my total eleven. My body was exhausted, but it was worth it to see that Dan was as safe as possible.

  
We hadn't managed to find Tyler or Louise yet, but Dan was determined they were here. He'd managed somehow to place a water ability on me to keep the power limiter serum from working longer than 20 minutes, so I was able to keep us warm at night.

  
Dan was sleeping restlessly, a frown creasing his forehead and shudders racketing his frame. He'd been experimented on last night, the last of three times I'd been unable to keep them from him. He had welts along his arms and a bruise on his cheek, making my heart ache everytime I saw them.

  
I ran my hand through his hair, his head resting on my lap. I had my palm warmed and was running down his arm, carefully hovering over the angry purple and red marks marring his skin, taking away as much pain from them as possible. He shivered again, still feeling that electricity running through him. Being a water person, he had more water in his system which held the sparks, keeping them running through his body.

  
I sighed, pressing a gentle kiss to his fingertips entwined in my other hand. _Hakan, can you hear me?_ I heard in my head and I jumped, almost startling Dan awake. _Yes? Who are you?_ I thought back and then the reply _Oh thank gods, it's me! Aaban! PJ? Zee and I are looking for you, Chev, Ryo and Eve, and I just barely managed to break through the electric fence they have around the place that prevents mental communication. This conversation probably won't last long. How are you and Ryo coping?_

  
I looked down at Dan and felt faint relief. If PJ had managed to contact me finally after two and a half months, that means he was closer to saving us, to saving Dan. _Ryo is doing better than I am, but I'm making sure it stays that way. I've been taking his sessions, he's only had three these last two weeks whereas I've had eleven. Ryo is not to be harmed_ I thought to him angrily and worry filtered into my mind.  
_We'll try to have you four out soon. We've called some people higher up, and surprisingly, Zee has connections with the royal guard. My connections only go as far as several celebrities with other connections. We have a very strong six person connection_ , he thought to me confidently and I nodded slowly, looking once more at Dan who had curled up tighter into his ball.

  
_Please hurry, they're using electricity rods and with Ryo's water ability, it's causing him more pain than it is me. Fire and electricity are basically the same things, but it still hurts me slightly. It's ten times worse for him,_ I thought worriedly and his confident reply came back, _Trust me, we'll be there a week or two max, promise._

  
I nodded, and sighed, squeezing Dan's palm in mine. I heard loud rustling and Dan startled awake, terror filling his eyes as he sat up, clutching to my arm. I gently helped him up and pushed him behind me, feeling his hand clutch at my shirt shakily, tremors still shaking his frame from the earlier shocks.

  
_He's coming back_ I thought to PJ and he replied quickly, _Let me come into your mind and I can see what's going on, it might help._ I nodded and I felt his presence settle into my mind, just out of touch. I came back to reality as a hard plastic rod hit the bars of the cell, making Dan jump violently.

  
"Ryo, come on child," the doctor said kindly and I held Dan's arms tighter. "No! He's still recovering from last time, if you try again too soon you won't have a person to experiment on," I snarled sarcastically, anger making me heat up even though I tried not to. "Just take me you bastard," I snapped and the doctor sighed.

  
"Alright, take him, leave the other," he said and as the assistant was unlocking the cell I quickly turned around and pressed a kiss to Dan's forehead that sent a pulse of heat through him, making it so he would stay warm until I returned in about two hours. "Be careful Bear," I whispered and he nodded, fear and concern in his eyes.

  
I let the assistants drag me away, my eyes locked on Dan's wide ones. _Chev is talking to Ryo, he's not alone_ , PJ's voice said in my head and I relaxed minisculely even as I was strapped to the chair bed.

  
_Ban, will you feel everything I feel?_ I asked suddenly, terrified my friend would feel the pain I would be going through. _I will feel an echo, but not the full strength of it_ , he replied and I felt a little relief that he wouldn't have to go through what I did.

  
"Hakan, why do you insist on taking the other boy's place? We need his power too," Dr. Malachi said sweetly and I glared at him. "Go suck a dick," I spat and dimly felt PJ's surprise at my words. I'd never said those words to anyone before around him. I felt amused a little at his reaction, but kept glaring at the doctor.

  
_What is Onision doing there?_ he asked, seeing Jackson and I replied, _He's helping Dr. Malachi,_ and he sent his disapproval. He'd never liked Onision during school, and it had gotten worse after we'd graduated. He'd dropped out of University and made rude comments about people on YouTube. _**(Okay, it seems like I don't like Onision here, and honestly, I do like him but I don't. He takes certain things too far and idk, I like a couple of his videos but I honestly just can't stand him.)**_

  
_**"**_ Let's start with the usual. Get the pins," Dr. Malachi ordered and Jackson nodded, going to a drawer to pick up the thin metal pins they liked stabbing into different parts of my body. Especially where my magic rested or my brain. I glared at the man and as he moved to me to secure the metal band around my forehead and chest, I spat in his face, making sure to get as much spit as I could.

  
I could still feel PJ's shock and awe over what I was doing and couldn't help but feel amused by it. Dr. Malachi shook his head disgusted, taking his handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his face down. The back of his hand struck my left cheek, making my head snap to the side and blood specks fly out of my mouth.

  
I groaned and leaned my head back against the cool metal of the bed table, feeling PJ's worry drift across my mind. _Don't worry, this isn't the bad part. That'll come within thirty minutes, depending on how bad his mood is today_ , I thought to him and the worry increased. _How long are you here?_ he asked aghast and I thought for a second. _Since I'm taking Ryo's spot, about 2 and a half, maybe 3 hours_ , I replied and horror filled him.

  
I watched as Dr. Malachi walked closer, the pins in his hand. He'd just finished washing them, so at least I didn't have to worry about getting infected or something worse. He placed the pins in the metal band closest to my temples and screwed them in, the tips digging into my skin and making me scream.

  
For the next 20 minutes they messed with the pins in my head, making the pain level high and constant, occasionally shocking me with their electricity rods. They looked at each other near the end of that 20 minutes and then back at me, pressing the rods at the same time to my chest, right above my power orb. I screamed, my voice already hoarse from all the previous screaming.

  
I tugged at the chains around my wrists until the pain faded to a barely bearable level, my breathing heavy. I felt blood trickling down the sides of my cheeks, dripping onto my shirt and collarbone. Jackson stabbed a needle into my arm and gave me the antidote to the serum that didn't even work in the first place anymore.

  
"Throw a flame into the middle of the room," the doctor ordered and I glared at him, steeling my power. Since I'd had more control over it the last two weeks thanks to Dan, it was stronger than they were used to.

  
I focused my power on their stomachs, filling them with fire and making them scream. They both dropped what they were holding and fell to the floor. I had been working on the chains the last two and a half months so they were extremely brittle thankfully.

  
_Are you escaping_? PJ asked amazed and I sent him an affirmative as I pulled with all my might, which wasn't that much since I hadn't had a lot before I was taken but adrenaline could be one's friend. I managed to snap the chains around my wrists and with my hands, melted the metal around my ankles. I paused for a second as I collapsed to the floor, seeing the two doctors writhe on the floor, feeling slightly bad about it.

  
But then I shook the feeling away, knowing this is what they deserved for what they've done to me, my friends, and especially Dan. I took a breath and ripped the pins from my head, a scream ripping its way through my body before fading. I took another deep breath and removed the flames from the doctors insides but instead sent a quick spark to their brains, making them go unconscious and hopefully stay that way for several hours.

  
I took the electricity rod and keys from Jackson and stumbled out of the room, heading down the hall to the cells. _Chev says Ryo is terrified_ , PJ said softly in my head and I nodded, walking carefully down but stumbling several times. My head was on fire, and not in the usual way.

  
I made it to the cell I shared with Dan and whispered, "Ryo? Bear? It's me." "Ph-Hakan?" he whispered and I nodded, falling to my knees outside of the cage feeling exhausted. "I have the keys," I whispered, him moving quickly to me and taking the keys, unlocking the cell and moving to me immediately.

  
He summoned the water like usual and healed the wounds on my temples and as many of the welts as he could, but I stopped him before he went too far. "Save your energy Bear," I whispered, already feeling a bit better. Dan's arms around my frame helped a lot too.

  
_Chev and Eve are down the hall a bit,_ PJ told me and I looked up and down the hallway. "Cheveyo and Linaeve are here, down the hallway, let's get them out and see what we can do," I whispered and he nodded faintly, looking worried. "Chev doesn't sound so good," he whispered and I frowned, worried.

  
He helped me to my feet and supported me as we hurried down the hallway, keeping an eye out for guards or other doctors. "Hakan? Ryo?" a faint female voice whispered and we stopped, turning to the door it was coming from. "Linaeve?" I replied softly and she whispered, "Oh thank gods you're alright."

  
I carefully opened the door and winced at the condition she was in. She had bruises, cuts, welts and holes from the pins all over her body. Dan and I walked in carefully and I summoned my fire while he summoned his water and healed her as much as possible. We realised that working together made it easier to heal someone, our magicks working together perfectly.

  
Soon, she was healed enough to be able to stand up unsteadily, clinging to both of our arms. "C'mon, we need to find Cheveyo," I whispered and they nodded, following me out to the hallway. I adjusted the electric rod in my hand and kept it away from the two, thankful they were on my left side and I could control it with my right hand.

  
We walked a little further down the hallway but stopped as five guards ran in, electric rods and Tasers in their hands. I quickly stepped in front of Dan and Louise and raised my hand, an extremely strong protective rage running through my veins.

  
"Return to your cells, now," the lead guard ordered and I laughed, albeit a bit insanely. "You think we're going to listen to you? I don't think so," I said amused and I felt the shock from PJ fill my head. "Go! Now!" the guard ordered again and pointed the Taser at me. I laughed again, feeling Dan tremble behind me.

  
I threw a single blue fireball at the Taser, blue fire being the hottest flame out there. I quickly did the same to the others and all five of them cried out in pain as the flame enveloped their hands. I filled my hand with flames and said, "Now, if you don't want to feel the same pain Dr. Malachi and Jackson felt, I would let us pass and leave us alone."

  
The five stood their grounds and I was impressed by their courage but shook my head. "Dang, I'd hoped not to hurt anyone else. Oh well, this is your own doing," I said a bit bored and all of the sudden all five of the guards screamed out in pain as their stomachs filled with flames.

  
I kept it there for about 5 seconds before removing the flames, tugging Dan and Louise past them. "Chev!" I whispered, not really wanting to see Dan and Louise's expressions. Yes, I'd hardened here, and while I still didn't like violence or anything like that, I would do anything I needed to protect my friends.

  
"Hakan?" a faint, hoarse voice replied from two doors ahead and I rushed over, unlocking the door and gasping at the condition Tyler was in. "Ryo? Eve?" he whispered, unable to move from where he was curled up on the floor. I could see his ankle was broken, as was his hand and by the way his breathing was ragged and controlled, probably a couple ribs too.

  
He was also covered in bruises, welts, and chains wrapped around his neck, wrists and ankles. "Oh, Ty," I whispered and we moved carefully forward, Dan taking my hand. We joined our magicks again and I whispered, "This might hurt, Chev, we need to reset the bones." He nodded, his eyes closing as exhaustion took over him.

  
We worked first on his leg, the snapping of the bone making all three of us wince as it healed. All three of us carefully straightened him out and Dan and I healed his ribs and hand, carefully sinking our power into his body to see if he had any internal damage. Unfortunately, he did with a punctured lung and some tears in his stomach.

  
We quickly but carefully healed that, checking his head and finding a severe concussion. We couldn't heal brain injuries very well, but we could take the pain away so we did so, healing the bruises covering his face and any cuts we could see. The entire process took us about an hour, so Louise kept an eye out with the electric rod in her hand.

  
Finally, we did as much as we could and sat back exhausted. _Phil, we can't get you out of there until next week, do you think you're able to hide until then_? PJ whispered in my head and I thought carefully for a second. _I think so, but keep us updated_ , I replied and he sent an affirmative before withdrawing from my mind completely.

  
I felt a little lost at his disappearance, but focused on my friends. Out of all three of us, I was the least hurt, Dan still feeling the electrical shivers that filled his body, Louise and Tyler still suffering from blood loss. I thought for a second before turning around and closing the cell door with us inside. I filled the doorway with flames, making them stick and impenetrable.

  
"We'll stay in here for a few days, no one can come in. Once you guys heal as much as possible, we'll go find somewhere else to hide, Ban said he and Zee should be able to come get us in a week or so," I said and all three of them looked at me, nodding but still scared.

  
I sat down next to them, Dan and Tyler immediately curling against my side and Louise laying her head on Tyler's lap. I let gentle waves of heat come off my body, hoping to keep them warm. I sighed as all three of them fell asleep quickly, shivers coming from all three of them. I stayed up all night, keeping watch as the three of them slept, shaking or whimpering from nightmares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
The next morning, once all three of them woke up, I took down the flames and said, "I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to find us some food and water. The flames will keep them out, okay?" All three nodded, looking terrified and I worried something else happened to them. These three were some of the strongest people I knew, and to see them this frightened made me wonder if something worse had happened to them.

  
I left the room, placing the flames on the inside of the room again and making sure they were extra hot to make sure the room stayed warm without me in it. I walked quickly down the hall, the electric rod powered and humming in my hand. I managed to make it 15 minutes without seeing anyone, but then I saw four guards standing in front of a room, all talking quietly.

  
I summoned my fire and filled their stomachs, making them all scream in shock and pain as their insides burned. I kept the flames there for a few seconds before withdrawing it, not wanting to actually kill anyone. They all collapsed unconscious after the fire withdrew from them, leaving the door wide open. I snuck forward carefully, looking inside and was filled with relief as I saw the cans of food and several bottles of water.

  
I ran inside and looked for a few minutes, managing to find a good sized plastic bag. I placed 12 bottles of water inside and several cans of whatever type of food I could see, not caring what it was at the time. Even cheese would be delicious right now.

  
Once I filled the bag as much as I could without it tearing, I looked around and found a few more electrical rods, picking them up and making sure they were turned off before placing them into the bag. That would give Tyler and Louise some protection, since Dan had his water. The electrical current running through his body thankfully wore off during the night, letting him rest for a couple hours peacefully.  
I carefully walked back with the food, trying to make sure it didn't make too much noise as I walked quickly back to the cell. I almost ran into three more guards making their rounds, all on high alert since they knew we were free at the moment. I wondered where Dr. Malachi and Jackson were, and if they were still alive. I hoped they were alive, but suffering. I wanted them to feel the pain inflicted on us, but not kill them. I'm not a murderer.

  
I managed to make it back to the cell and quickly went inside, locking the door and putting up the flames again. "Guys?" I whispered and all three immediately ran to me, hugging me tightly. "You were gone for so long, I thought you'd gotten caught," Dan whispered terrified and I pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'm not going anywhere Bear, I promise," I whispered and he nodded, looking at the bag I'd brought.  
"I found food and water, and a couple more rods," I said and their faces filled with relief as I opened it, passing out a can to each of them and a bottle of water. I'd grabbed a tin opener so we quickly opened the cans and ate whatever was in it, no matter what it was. Anything was better than nothing.

  
After finishing our meal, Dan and Tyler once again curled up against my side, both of them clutching my hands. They were both younger than me, Louise only a year older than me, but I didn't mind taking care of them. I was 29, Louise was 30, Dan was 25 and Tyler was 27.  
The two younger boys fell asleep, both still recovering from their ordeals. Tyler had dealt with the most, since his ability to change into a spirit and shadows was a bit harder to contain than nature or elemental magick. Louise sat next to us, running a hand through Tyler's hair and sighing sadly.

  
"Why are they doing this? I know there's more people here," she whispered and I lifted my head surprised. "There are? Where?" I asked, already making plans to rescue them too. "They're down the hall a bit, but I don't know how bad they are. They've been here for a long time, a couple almost as long as you, Hakan," she said and I nodded slowly.

  
I looked down at Dan and Tyler, their faces marred by worry and faint fear still lingering in their sleep. I sighed, wishing I could protect them from ever experiencing anything like this again. But I knew that these next few days were going to be difficult.

  
"Can you stay here with them? I'm going to see about the others," I asked quietly and she nodded, whispering, "I think there's only four." I nodded thankfully and carefully maneuvered the two off my lap as Louise took my spot. Dan frowned a bit more but relaxed as I brushed my lips across his forehead.

  
"I'll be right back," I whispered and Louise nodded, looking worried as I took down the flames and stepped out, an electric rod in my hand and flames in the other. I reset the flames on the door and walked quietly down the hallway.

  
It seemed eerily quiet and I didn't really like it, my footsteps seeming to echo loudly. I looked in every door I could, and didn't see anyone until the fourth door I looked in where a man lay half conscious, covered in wounds. I unlocked the door and he moved as quickly as possible, which wasn't really all that fast, and said terrified, "No!"

  
"Hey, hey, it's alright, I'm here to help, what's your name?" I said softly and he looked up at me, his blue eyes terrified. "J-Joey," he whispered and I nodded, kneeling next to him. "I'm Phil, but call me Hakan. What's your ability?" I asked softly and he said, "I can go invisible and walk through walls and stuff. But, they injected me with something and I can't do it anymore. It hurts."

  
I smiled sympathetically and said, "Will you let me heal you? I can get rid of as much of the pain as possible." He nodded quickly and said, "They broke my ribs and dislocated my shoulder. That's where it hurts the most." I nodded and summoned a soft flame, letting it sink into his skin and asking, "How old are you, Joey?"

  
He winced as his ribs repaired and said, "I'm 24, they took me a month and a half ago. My dad had called them, said I was unnatural and needed to be fixed." He winced as the flame healed his shoulder and the small fracture on his forearm. "You don't need to be fixed. You're fine just the way you are," I said determinedly and he smiled faintly at me.

  
"Thank you for helping me," he whispered and I smiled. "You're welcome. We should give you a name, how about Barid? It means cloud," I said and he thought for a second before nodding. "That works, because when I do my thing I seem to become mist," he said happily and I smiled, carefully helping him stand.

  
"There's three other people here being hurt, and then me and my two friends and my boyfriend, I'm trying to help as many people as I can. I have a couple friends free who are trying to get to us," I said softly and his eyes lit up. "Help? Someone is trying to help us?" he asked eagerly and I nodded, smiling softly.

  
"C'mon, lets go get those other three," I said and he nodded, taking the electric rod I handed him and following me out to the hallway. He stuck close to me, his hand shaking as he held tightly to the small metal rod.

  
A couple doors down from his, I found a young girl curled up in a ball asleep. She had a gag wrapped around her mouth and several bruises around her throat, her hands tied behind her back. I carefully opened the door and she jerked awake, her eyes widening terrified before she actually saw us.

  
"Hey, it's alright, I'm here to help. This is Joey, I'm Phil, we're like you. We're trying to get out with a couple of our friends," I said softly and relief filled her eyes. I removed the gag from her mouth and undid the binds around her wrists. "What's your name?" I asked softly and she cleared her throat before whispering, "Marzia."

  
Her voice was very high and sweet sounding, even though it shook with terror and misuse. "I can heal your throat, would you like me to?" I asked and she nodded, tears filling her eyes. I filled my palm with a light flame and let it sink into the sensitive skin around her throat, the bruises fading as they healed.

  
"They have Felix," she whispered once she was healed and I asked, "Felix?" She nodded, looking worried. "He's my boyfriend, he's also one of us. My voice is kind of like a siren, if I work it high enough it'll actually make a person's eardrum explode. He's an elemental, like you. He works with the earth," she said and I nodded.

  
"We're going to find the others right now, with him there's another one here. I have three of my friends protected right now," I said and she looked up at me hopefully. "We should give you a name, make it a little less obvious about who we're talking about. How about Nasnan? It means full of song," I said and she thought for a second before nodding.

  
"I'm Hakan, Joey is Barid, we can call Felix Peklo, it means stone," I said, trying to distract her as I helped her up. "I like that, I think he will too," she said softly and I handed her an electric rod. "Let's go find Felix and the other person," I said softly and both of them nodded, following me out to the hallway.

  
We turned a corner but I quickly pushed the two back, seeing two guards walking this way. "Don't watch," I whispered and sent flames to the guards, filling their lungs this time. It would make it so that they couldn't scream and alert the other guards that we were out. A few seconds later I withdrew the flames and they collapsed to the ground, breathing raggedly.

  
I walked closer to them, Joey and Marzia behind me shocked. "They're not dead, I try not to kill anyone, not even the doctors," I whispered and they nodded relieved. I looked in the doorway the closest guard was in front of and saw a man kneeling with chains holding his hands up. He seemed unconscious, but thankfully still breathing.

  
"Felix!" Marzia gasped and I quickly unlocked the door, letting the girl rush in. "Felix? Hey, wake up, there's some people here who want to help us," she whispered and the man groaned, lifting his head. "Marzia?" he whispered and she nodded, tears filling her eyes.  
I carefully undid the chains around his wrists and he collapsed to the floor. I set a flame on his shoulder and let it spread through his body, healing as much as I could. I was feeling exhausted, knowing I was exhausting my power more than I should. This would be so much easier if Dan was here, but I wasn't about to wake him up.

  
"Felix, I'm Phil and this is Joey, we're here to help you," I said softly and he looked up tired but a little shocked. "Hey, what's up," he said, a half smile on his face. I chuckled lightly and asked, "Is there any place that hurts specifically you want me to heal?" I asked and he thought for a second. "Not really, they mainly just kept me tied up with the occasional serum injection. My arms are a little sore but its nothing I can't handle," he said and I nodded.

  
"Do you think you can help us? We have to find one more person before we can go back to the place my friends are at. It's safe there, I have the door warded and there's food and water there too," I said and all three of theirs eyes lit up. "I can help, I'm just a little stiff," Felix said and I nodded, Joey and I helping him to his feet and letting him stretch.

  
He seemed really thin, but then again all of us were. I led him and the other two out to the hallway, Marzia clinging to Felix's hand. I walked down the hallway and looked around the corner, frowning as I saw three guards this time. All of them were on high alert, their weapons secured in their hands.

  
"I've got this, cover your ears," Marzia said, determination and anger in her features. I nodded and let her past, covering my ears. She opened her mouth and a high pitched scream sounded, making all of the guards gasp and cover their ears, blood leaking from their fingers. Their eyes rolled back and they collapsed to the ground, Marzia falling to the floor too.

  
Felix knelt beside her and carefully helped her up. "They're not dead, just deaf and unconscious," she whispered and I nodded, impressed. I led the way to the room near them and found a young boy, the youngest I'd seen so far, curled up in a ball with his ears covered. There was no blood, which meant his hearing was alright, but he seemed terrified.

  
"Hey kid? It's alright, I'm here to help," I said softly and his head lifted and I noticed with a faint gasp he was blind. And yet his eyes were pure gold, the whites, irises, pupils, everything. "Who are you?" he whispered and I said, "I'm Phil, this is Felix, Joey and Marzia, we're like you."

  
He frowned but nodded, uncurling himself carefully. He was dressed in all black, and had leather gloves on his hands. "I'm Troye, they didn't really do much to me, they were terrified of me," he whispered and I nodded, kneeling in front of him. "What's your ability?" I asked and he gave a half smile, holding up his gloved hands.

  
"If I uncover my hands, a light will shine from my palms. If I direct it at someone purposely, I can blind them. It's like looking at the sun. The only side affect is that it's taking my vision. I can see, but not very well," he said softly and I nodded, carefully helping him up. "Then we should call you Aalok, which means Light of God," I said lightly and he smiled, his face lighting up, figuratively.

  
"I like that," he said softly and I looked at him curiously. "How old are you?" I asked and he replied, "20, they took me three weeks ago." I frowned, he was so young. I looked at Felix and Marzia, asking, "How old are you two?" Felix replied, "I'm 26, Marzia is 23." I nodded, a little disgruntled. Still the second oldest, and these people are too young to be going through any of this, especially Troye.

  
"C'mon, I have some friends who are waiting for us. We also have food and I know where the kitchen is so if needed I can get more," I said and all four of them sighed in relief. "C'mon, lets go," I said softly, looking out the door and making sure no one was out there.

  
I was in the lead, Felix in the end and we carefully and quickly made it back to the cell we were in. Thankfully, it was a relatively large cell and it would be able to hold all of us, otherwise it would be just a little cramped and kind of annoying, but we could make it work.

  
I went inside carefully and everyone followed in. "Hakan!" Dan cried, jumping into my arms. "I woke up and you were gone!" he cried into my shirt and I just held him closely. "I'm sorry Bear, but I needed to help these guys," I said softly and he nodded but still clung to me.

  
Finally, he pulled away but kept a hold on my hand, looking at the new people curiously. "Felix, Marzia, Troye, Joey, this is Dan, Tyler and Louise. Guys, this is Felix, Marzia, Troye and Joey," I said, gesturing to each person as I said their names. "Troye?" Tyler whispered and the younger boy just looked at Tyler in shock.

  
"Tyler?" he whispered and then lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "Ty!" Troye sobbed and Tyler just held onto him tightly. "I've missed you so much baby boy," Tyler whispered and I looked at Dan and Louise shocked. "I've missed you too, Tyler, where did you go? You disappeared almost six months ago!" Troye exclaimed and Tyler sighed, stepping away from him.

  
"I was losing control over my power, and I hadn't told you about it yet and I didn't want you to think I was abnormal. So, I left. If I'd known you were like me, I would have stayed. What is your ability?" Tyler asked and Troye replied, "Lights come out of my hands. That's why you've never seen me without gloves. I don't know how to turn if off and if I have them out, I can blind someone. I also always wore contacts and sunglasses so you couldn't see my eyes."

  
Tyler ran his fingers across Troye's jaw, examining his eyes. "You shouldn't have to hide them, I quite like them," he said softly and Troye flushed. Suddenly he seemed to realise that we were still in the room and his flush grew darker. "Um, people," he whispered and I laughed lightly.

  
"So, how do you know each other?" Dan asked and Tyler smiled at the younger boy, saying, "We dated for four years, when he was 16 and I was 21. People didn't accept it, but the age of consent said it was alright. Then about 6 months ago I started losing control over my ability so I left him, not wanting to hurt him."

  
I nodded surprised and shook my head. "Right then, so-" I started but Louise shouted, "Hakan! The door!" I whirled around and noticed four guards rushing in. I panicked and threw a wall of flames at them, wrapping around them but not touching them. I gathered my wits and said, "If you want to live, you'll walk to the door with the wall. Otherwise, you'll just be consumed."

  
I moved the wall out the door and thankfully, they followed. As soon as they were out in the hallway I locked the door and dropped the flames, putting the warding up over the door. Now they couldn't touch the door without being burned.

  
I fell down, having completely exhausted my power. All the healing I'd done today and then the earlier fighting and then just now, I could feel unconsciousness creeping over my head. "Phil, carefully," Dan whispered and I nodded, leaning against him. I hadn't slept properly in over three days, and all the work I was doing with my fire, wore me out.

  
"C'mon," Dan whispered and carefully helped me stand, holding me as I stumbled and leaned against him. "Is he alright?" Marzia asked concerned and Dan replied, "He's just tired. He's had three times the amount of torture than us three combined, and he's had no sleep, and he's been using his power all day. He needs to relax and take some time for himself."

  
We sat on the floor and I frowned even as my eyes fluttered closed. "Need t' p'tect you," I mumbled and Dan chuckled softly. "You can protect us when you wake up, right now you need to take care of yourself. We can keep watch for a few hours," he said and I felt his lips press against my forehead.

  
I nodded, finally giving in and gave into the exhaustion creeping over me. Last thing I was aware of was Dan's steady heartbeat under my ear.


	4. Chapter 3: Surviving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group are just trying to get by day by day, and today, they meet new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one basically a filler oops sorry, but there is some cuteness and some action

I woke up groggily, feeling Dan's soft breath against my neck. I opened my eyes and noticed that everyone except Tyler was asleep, the boy looking down at Troye who was sleeping peacefully with his head in his lap. I was curled up with Dan on the floor, stretched out and his head resting on my shoulder.

I smiled faintly at him, running my fingers softly through his hair. I looked up at Tyler and asked, "How long have I been asleep?" He looked at me and thought for a second, frowning. "It's hard to keep track of time here, but I think about two days," he said and shock filled me for a second. "I was unconscious for two days?" I asked and he nodded.

"Ban and Zee contacted me and Ryo, said that they would be here in a day or two. They're getting as much help as they can before they come storming in. A couple guards tried to get through the door yesterday, but didn't do much except scare Aalok and Barid," he said and I nodded, holding tighter to Dan.

Two more days, then we could get out of here. I would set up special wards around the house, though we'd probably move. Thankfully, my mum knew my ability and had done all she could to help me control it and keep it hidden. She supported me in every way, and if needed, she would help Dan and I find a new home, one away from all of the memories.

I stayed up the rest of the night, telling Tyler to go to sleep. I sipped at a water bottle, noticing that there were only two left - not including the one I was currently drinking from - and frowned. I would need to do another run soon, probably today.

A few hours later Dan stirred and sat up, blinking sleepily. His hair was dirty, but still curling nicely and I loved the look on him. "Phil?" he mumbled and I ran a hand through his curls. "Right here, Bear," I replied softly and his eyes blinked sleepily at me. "You're awake!" he gasped and I laughed lightly as he sat up quickly, unable to take his eyes from me.

"Yes, love, I am," I said amused and he flushed, looking overjoyed. He looked around quickly before leaning down and pressing his mouth against mine, or first kiss since that one almost three months ago when I was taken. I deepened the kiss and pulled him against me, enjoying the warmth of his mouth against mine.

I tangled my hands in his hair and made him submit under me, his body immediately going lax against mine. He let out a quiet moan as I pulled at his hair and I smiled internally, proud that I'd made that noise come from him.

Before it went too far, I pulled away and pulled him against my chest. My heart was being rapidly and I knew he could hear it since his ear was pressed to the spot. He was breathing a little erratically and I ran a hand over his spine to calm him down.

"Bear, would you like to come with me to the kitchen and get some more food and water? We're running low," I asked softly and he frowned for a second before nodding. "It'll be safe right? You won't get hurt?" he asked and I kissed him gently before saying, "Nothing will hurt me, and nothing will even be able to look at you. You're going to stay safe, I'm going to stay safe, our friends are going to stay safe, we'll all be home before we know it."

He nodded slowly as he watched my face for a second before saying, "Okay." I smiled and sat up, pulling him with me. I looked around and noticed that Felix was stirring, his arms tightly around Marzia who was still asleep.

"Peklo, could you tell the others that Ryo and I are going to get some food and water and will be right back if they wake up before we do get back?" I asked quietly and he nodded, stretching and looking around sleepily. I got up and stretched, my spine a little sore from where it was stretched out on the cement floor.

I moved to the doorway and readied my fire, feeling the water ripple behind me and knew that Dan had his ability prepared too. "Love, you do know that you can just manipulate the water in a person's body right?" I asked, pausing before opening the door. Surprise appeared in his eyes as he thought about it before saying, "I never thought about it before. But I guess I could."

I smiled amused at him and took down the fire around the door, grabbing the bag holding the remainders of the previous run and led him out. I kept an eye out, feeling his hand hold tightly to the back of my shirt as we took the semi familiar path to the kitchens. We only ran into three guards, and I wondered where they all came from. I mean, it was never the same one twice. We hadn't even seen Dr. Malachi or Jackson since that day I escaped.

But then again, I do have a habit of speaking too soon.

We rounded the corner and froze, seeing about seven guards this time. And Dr. Malachi, but no Jackson which immediately put me on edge. We quickly backed up and pressed against the wall, peeking around the corner. We needed to get past these guys, one more corner after this one and we'd be at the kitchen.

"What do we do?" Dan asked quietly and I frowned, thinking as fast as I could. "See if you can manipulate Dr. Malachi into one of the cells, there's three a little down the hall, see?" I said softly and he nodded, looking a little nervous. He stepped around me and peeked around the corner, nerves filling his expression. I squeezed his hand softly before letting go and letting him do his thing.

A cute little frown appeared on his face as he concentrated, his fingers twitching lightly. I watched as Dr. Malachi froze, his spine straightening as he turned around and practically was dragged into one of the cells, the second one in the middle, then the confusion on the guards faces. I stifled my giggles at the look of bewilderment on their faces and focused on distracting them so I wouldn't have to hurt anyone.

I produced a flame and had it sink under their skin, making them overbearingly warm. Especially under those really thick uniforms they were made to wear. I smirked as a couple of the younger ones started shifting uncomfortably, pulling at their collars. The older ones were a bit more controlled but I could see the look on discomfort on their faces.

I snickered softly and Dan let out a quiet laugh, amused. "What are you doing? It's those two elementals! Get them you dunderheads!" Dr. Malachi shouted from inside the cell, still unable to move since Dan had trapped his legs in large blocks of ice.

"Shit," Dan muttered and we backed up a little more, readying the electric rods in our dominant hands and our power in the other hand. All seven guards rounded the corner, still looking overbearingly hot. I snickered and casually pumped up the heat, focusing extra heat into the metal rods they were holding.

These guys weren't very smart, seeing as they're always trying to approach a fire user with metal weapons. Metal conducts heat very well, which makes it easier for me to play with. As was proven as I heated the weapons so badly they were forced to drop them, gasps of pain coming from the younger guards.

I shook my head and said playfully, "You'd think you would have learned by now silly boys. Metal conducts heat just as easily as they conduct electricity. So why do you insist on trying to battle someone with a fire ability?"

The younger guards glanced at the older ones, one of them looking exasperated as if he'd tried to argue that before. "Kid, what's your name?" I asked him and his eyes widened surprised. There was something different about him, he seemed more reluctant than the other guards.

"J-Johnnie Guilbert," he replied and one of the older guards snapped, "Shut it kid." A water globe appeared around his head and I smiled at Dan thankfully and told the older guard, "Now that was rude. I was speaking with him. Johnnie, you're different aren't you?" Dan was creating an ice grid around the older members, the two young guards being left out. He knew what I was getting at.

Johnnie licked his lips nervously and glanced at the older guards who were looking at him confused. The other young guard, a boy about the same age as Johnnie with blond hair and brown eyes, looked at Johnnie scared. Johnnie smiled shakily at him and said, "Yeah, I am. But my cousin wanted me to join this guard, and I couldn't tell him that I was like the ones they were trying to guard now could I?"

I shook my head sadly and said, "What's your name blondie?" The boy looked startled and glanced at Johnnie before saying shakily, "K-Kyle. Johnnie asked me to join with him, even though we're both the same." I smiled proudly and at that time Dan finished his ice grid and the walls of ice shot up, enveloping the older guards and startling Johnnie and Kyle.

"What did you do?" Kyle asked aghast and Dan replied, "They're still alive, they're just stuck in there until we leave this place. As soon as my magic is out of reach the ice will melt and they'll be free. So they'll be in there for a day or two, but I did leave water in there. Which, of course, is more than they've done for us."

Kyle nodded slowly and looked at Johnnie who was watching me with guarded eyes. "You say you're going to escape?" the dark haired boy asked and I nodded, watching him suspiciously. "Can you help us? We want out, and we want to learn how to manipulate our abilities better. We're just learning about them," he asked quietly and I frowned.

"How old are you two?" I asked and Johnnie replied, "I'm 18, Kyle's 17. We have another friend here who's the same as us, he's 24." I sighed, more young ones. These two were especially young, and their friend. "What's your friend's name and where is he?" Dan asked and Kyle said, "Damon, he's in the guard room. We can get him saying that Dr. Malachi wants to talk to him."

I nodded slowly before saying, "Do that, and then meet us in the kitchen in 15 minutes max, can you do that?" They nodded, looking eager to get out of here. They rushed off, Johnnie stopping for a second and looking back, whispering, "Thank you." I smiled and waved, him rushing off after his friend.

I shook my head and took Dan's hand in mine, walking to the door Dr. Malachi was behind. I looked in and kept my expression blank as I looked at him. He was trying to chip away the ice but since it was powered ice, it wouldn't be as easy to get rid of.

He looked up and glared at us furiously. "Get me out of here or I'll teach you a lesson you'll be hard pressed to forget," he snarled and I raised an eyebrow amused.

"Now, talking to us like that really won't get you any favours. And do you really believe we'll be letting you out any time soon? After everything you've done to us and our friends? We found one of our closest friends beaten and broken because of you, and you really think we're going to show you kindness? No, the only kindness you'll be receiving from us is staying alive," I said, growing angry near the end.

Images of Dan's shaking body, Tyler's broken and bruised form, Louise's bruised and cut up skin, all my new friends, and I was forced to fight back the urge to set his clothes on fire and watch him burn. But I wasn't going to do that, I wasn't a murderer.

"We'll bring you a bottle of water, so you better make sure you can make it last a day or two," I said casually and walked away, ignoring him as he started shouting at us. Dan was watching me with a strange expression and I felt a little uncomfortable.

"What?" I asked and he shrugged. "You're different from when I first met you all those years ago," he said and I sighed. "It's this place, I've had to grow into a role I didn't want to protect you and our friends. I'd gone through twice the amount to make sure you guys weren't caught or tortured, and I would do it again to make sure you didn't get hurt. There's nothing more important to me than you guys," I said softly and he took my hand, squeezing it softly.

I led him to the kitchen, thankfully not running into any other guards. I opened the door and looked inside, noticing Johnnie, Kyle and another boy in there. "I'm assuming this is Damon?" I said, making all three of them jump and turn around.

The new guy was obviously older than Johnnie and Kyle, but still young looking. Especially with his sandy brown hair and wide blue eyes. I studied him for a second and noticed that his eyes were watching me with just as much suspicion as Dan was watching him.

"What can you do?" I asked finally and he smirked, glancing at Johnnie and Kyle before disappearing. I immediately called my fire and frowned, still feeling his warmth in the room. "I know you're still in here, Damon. Where'd you go?" I asked and then a large falcon flew down from the ceiling, landing on Kyle's shoulder.

"That's Damon?" I asked and both of the young guards nodded, Kyle seeming to instinctively reach up and stroke the boy's feathers. Damon butted his beak against Kyle's cheek before taking off, flipping in the air and landing as the boy once again. "Show off," Johnnie muttered and I snickered, making him flush and grin at me.

"I'm Damon, and these two are under my protection. I've been keeping them out of trouble since they first came here three weeks ago. Who are you to try and out them?" Damon said defensively and I raised my eyebrow at him.

"First, how long have you known about your power?" I asked and he shrugged, thinking for a second. "I first transformed when I was 12," he said and I nodded slowly, doing the math. "Johnnie said you're 24, so you've known about your power for about 12 years, correct?" I asked and he nodded, wondering where I was going with this.

"Well, Damon, I'm 29 and I've known about my power since I was 5, able to control it easily by time I was 9. I've been working with mine for over 20 years, and I've managed to keep my group of friends safe since we broke out of the cells almost a week ago. Have you gone through the torture of Dr. Malachi for almost 3 months, taking double so you could protect your best friend? Have you had to sit and watch as said best friend shook in pain when you couldn't protect them? I have. I'm not saying I want to take your place as their protector, but I am saying that I could help all three of you guys," I said and Damon seemed to be thinking it over, looking at the two boys behind him.

"I guess so," he said finally and I nodded. "Now, since there apparently is going to be three extra people in our group, we're gonna need to take extra water and food," I said, taking the bag out from where it was sticking out of my pocket and opening it again.

"You're using that?" Kyle asked and I rolled my eyes. "I'd prefer something sturdier, but I had to use what I could get. It's worked so far," I replied as Dan started moving around the room and looking at the options.

"I guess you're right," Kyle said and I rolled my eyes again, this time looking away from him so he couldn't see it. Dan and I quickly gathered about 12 more cans of food, since we still had about 10 in the room and as many water bottles we could fit in whatever room was left. Kyle, Johnnie and Damon just stayed back, keeping an eye out in case any other guards tried to come.

About 5 or 10 minutes later, we were done and I told the new kids, "We're done. Follow us, we'll show you where the rest of the guys are. But first, get rid of the jackets, you'll scare Cheveyo and Aalok." I wasn't about to tell them my friend's real names until I felt I could trust them more.

They nodded and quickly shed the jackets and pants, leaving them all in matching grey shirts and various coloured skinny jeans. Kyle sighed happily as he got rid of the uniform, quickly dropping an arm band right after. Johnnie did the same, but Damon didn't have one.

"What were those?" Dan asked and the two younger ones looked at Damon. "I made them myself. They act as a controller of abilities, since they barely discovered that they had them maybe three years ago," Damon replied and I nodded, looking at them curiously. "Take them with us, they might come in handy later," I said finally and helped Dan pick up the bag.

"I can make that lighter," Johnnie said quietly and I looked at him confused. "It's his ability. He can make things lighter with touch while I'm the opposite and can make things heavier," Kyle said quietly and I looked at them kind of awed.

"Well, that would be appreciated," I said finally and he smiled. He reached over and touched the side of the bag, pulling away a second later. Dan let go of the bag and I realised I could carry it easily without his help. "Thanks. Now, lets go, I left Peklo watching in case anything happened," I said and they nodded, letting Dan and I lead the way.

Thankfully, we didn't run into any other guards, though it was a little annoying hearing Dr. Malachi shout at us. I paused the group and walked into the cell, a frown on my face. "We can't have the other guards alerted, now can we?" I said softly as I ripped a piece of fabric from his jacket and stuffed it into his mouth, tying another strip around it.

He tried yelling through the gag and I shook my head disapprovingly. I left a water bottle next to him in easy reach and left, knowing he would find a way to get rid of the ties around his hands in no time. I didn't tie them too tightly and the knot was relatively simple to undo, unless of course you were just an idiot.

We made it to the room safely, myself calling through my flames, "Hey guys, we found some more magicals. We're coming in." Felix replied, "Alright." I rolled my eyes and quickly took down the flames, Johnnie and Kyle looking at me in awe as I did it with ease.

I let them in and as they passed me, I noticed four guards rushing down the hallway. "Quickly!" I hissed and they all rushed in, myself following quickly. I slammed the door behind me and quickly threw up the wall of flames, just barely managing it as one of the guards grabbed the handle of the door just at it grew hot. He shouted out in pain and let go, making me sag back from the sudden drainage of energy of having to throw up a wall that powerful that fast.

Dan caught me and whispered urgently, "Careful love, don't overdo it." I nodded tiredly and let him support me, surprised at how quickly my energy drained. Kyle, Johnnie and Damon were standing off to the side a little nervously, watching us and I knew I would have to push aside my tiredness for now and be the leader they needed.

I pushed away from Dan and stood up straight, all my friends surrounding us. "Guys, this is Kyle, Johnnie and Damon," I started, pointing at each one as I said their names. "Guys, this is Cheveyo, Linaeve, Peklo, Nasnan, Aalok and Barid. I guess I forgot to tell you our names, so I'm Hakan and this is Ryo." **(In order, Tyler, Louise, Felix, Marzia, Troye and Joey, in case you're still trying to get used to their alternative names)**

They nodded slowly and Troye frowned as he took them in. "They don't look like they've been here long, and their clothes are too clean," he said softly and Kyle sighed. "Our families didn't know we had abilities, because we managed to keep them hidden. They hated magicals, and to know that we were part of them would have gotten us killed. Johnnie's cousin forced him into becoming a guard and Damon and I followed to help. We've been trying to find a way out for all of us, and you guys, because we didn't agree with what was going on here," he said and Troye's eyes went wide.

"You're guards?" he asked, fear shivering under his tone. Tyler wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave the three newcomers cold looks. "No, we didn't want to be. The only reason why we applied was the hope of rescuing those who needed it and to appease our families. We really are magicals, if that's what you're calling us," Johnnie insisted and I thought for a second.

"We do need a better name. How about the Balavens? It means powerful," I said, hoping to steer the conversation somewhere else. Everyone paused and eventually everyone nodded. "I like that," Dan said and I smiled at him.

"Also, we need to give you three a name each. It'll make it easier for us to talk to each other without giving out any actual names. What I told you guys were these guys' alternative names, I'm not about to trust you guys with our actual names until we feel like we can trust you more," I said and all three of them nodded.

"Johnnie, you said your ability makes things really light, right?" I said and he nodded, looking curious. "How about Malana? It means light and floating," I said and he thought for a second, looking at Kyle for confirmation. The younger blond was thinking it over before nodding. "I like it," he said and Johnnie smiled.

"Kyle, you said yours was the opposite of Johnnie's right?" Dan asked and he nodded, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt nervously. "Badar, it means full moon. The moon makes things heavier, it drags the tides around, so I think it fits," Dan said quietly, looking at me. Usually I was the one who came up with these things, except for my own name, but I really liked it. I nodded and looked to Kyle, wondering what he thought.

"I like it," Johnnie said softly and Kyle smiled at him fondly, making me wonder if there was something going on there. "I like it too," Kyle said finally and Damon nodded. I looked at the eldest of the trio and thought for a second, a slight frown making its way to my features.

"You turn into a falcon, correct? How about Chayton, it literally means falcon," I said and he snickered, nodding. "Fitting, I guess," he said amused and I grinned, feeling the exhaustion trying to take over me once again. "Yeah it is," I said amused, trying to cover up the fact that I was about to pass out.

Dan though saw right through my act and said, "Go sit down love, we can handle ourselves for a few hours. No one can get through your barrier except me anyway." I nodded and took a couple steps to the wall before finally collapsing, the darkness taking over my mind.

Last thing I remembered was Dan and Felix quickly catching me, Dan's worried tone as he called my name.


	5. Chapter 4: Shadow of an Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> get the title??? xD cos like, Chris's power is like a shadow and PJ is like, an angel??? yass. Dan and the group get rescued woo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummm.... so violence and some major things at the end, so prepare for that oops xD

"Why hasn't he woken up?" Dan's voice pierced through the fog in my head, sending an ache shooting from one temple to the other. "I don't know, Ryo. He has been using his ability much more than usual, and that final reaction must have pushed him too far. But look, he's starting to move," Louise said softly, her voice a little more soothing to my head.

"Lion? Are you awake?" Dan asked softly, this time regulating his voice so it wouldn't press too hard against my eardrums. I groaned, my head pounding. What the hell happened? "Love, can you open your eyes?" Dan asked again and I moved my face to the direction of his voice, a frown creasing my forehead.

My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I saw was Dan's worried yet relieved brown eyes, my head in his lap. "Bear?" I whispered, my throat sore and my voice raspy. I looked around for a half a second to see that everyone except Dan, Louise and Damon were asleep before looking back up at my boyfriend.

"Thank gods you're awake, you just collapsed yesterday," Dan said, the despair and worry in his voice making me feel guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for anything to happen. Can I get a little water?" I asked faintly and Louise nodded, handing me a new bottle. I opened it and quickly took a couple mouthfuls, feeling relieved as the cool water filled my mouth. It was rare that I could feel anything cold.

"Ban contacted us this morning, he said he and Zee almost have the plan figured out and should be getting us out sometime later today," Dan said and I nodded, letting myself feel a little hope and relief. Not too much, in case they couldn't do it, but a little.

I nodded and made a movement as if I were going to sit up, Dan seeing this and helping me sit up. He kept his arm around me as I leaned against the wall, sighing tiredly. "That's good, at least. How's everyone here doing?" I asked and Louise replied, "The three newbies are alright, they answered all the questions from everyone and seemed to be accepted as our own. Peklo and Nasnan are still a little wary about them, and Chev, but they haven't done anything."

I nodded and stretched, trying to get some feeling back in my tired limbs. "As long as there isn't any problems before Ban and Zee get here, I think we'll be fine. Maybe we'll just stay in here and work on our abilities while we wait. I'm sure there's going to be some kind of battle while we try to escape," I said and Dan nodded, frowning nervously.

"Hakan, promise me something," Dan said softly and I looked at him curiously. "Almost anything, Bear," I said and he sighed. "Try not to overdo it today, use your ability as little as possible, please. Until we find out what's making you so tired after a single use of it," He said softly and I smiled softly at him.

"I promise, love. I'll try not to overdo it, but only try. If I see someone who is in dire need of help, I will use my ability, I'm not going to let anyone get hurt if I can help it," I said and he looked at me for a second before nodding slowly. "I guess that's enough," he said and I lifted his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

"I'm not going anywhere, I _can_ promise that," I said firmly and he gave me a faint smile. "I'll hold you to that, Phil Lester," he whispered almost inaudibly and I pulled him down for a quick kiss.

"Ugh, enough with the cuteness, you're going to give me diabetes with how sweet you are," Louise joked and I raised an eyebrow at her. I pulled her closer to me and pressed rapid kisses all over her cheeks and forehead, making her squeal in protest, giggling the entire time.

"Dammit, Hakan!" Louise gasped when I finally let her go, a smirk on my face. Dan was giggling, bringing a smile to my face. I noticed Damon watching us with an amused look and he glanced down at Johnnie and Kyle, who were curled up against the wall, the younger of the two pressed against the dark haired boy's chest.

I looked around, seeing everyone curled up with someone in some way. I couldn't help but feel over protective of this group, everyone (except Louise) younger and dealing with too much for people our age.

Tyler was holding Troye close, Felix holding Marzia, Johnnie and Kyle, Damon close to the two, Joey curled up close to Tyler and Troye with a faint frown on his face. Everyone was tired, hungry, hurt, scared, and right then I told myself that I would make sure everyone here were safe. They would get home to their families, they wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt again, I would make sure they were content.

I knew what I had to do, and while it went against everything I believed it, it would be the only way to make sure my friends were safe. I steeled myself against it, but I knew this would change everything. I just hoped Dan would understand what I needed to do.

An hour or so later, everyone except Troye was awake, Tyler explaining that it had taken him the longest to fall asleep after Dan. He'd only been asleep about an hour or two before I'd woken up, so I just told him to let him sleep, that he would wake up on his own time.

"So I'm sure that there will be a bit of a battle of some sorts while we're trying to get out, so I wanted to brush up on our abilities as much as possible before Aaban and Ohanzee come and get us," I said and everyone nodded, looking nervous but determined.

"M- Nasnan, do you know how to regulate your ability so it only deafens those you point at?" I asked and Marzia thought for a second. "Mostly, I mean, I can get it so a few people feel the shrieks, but if there's too many of our people assimulated with the group, I don't know how well I'll be able to keep it from them," she replied and I nodded, thinking it over.

"Maybe you and Aalok can start off, because I know that he can't limit his to only one person just yet either. So together you guys can blind and deafen the guards, but not both. I wouldn't want to handicap them completely," I said and she nodded, Tyler frowning as he looked at his sleeping boyfriend.

"Barid, Cheveyo, what extends do your abilities go with distracting someone in your other forms?" I asked and Joey said, "Well, I can appear to them as if I were solid, but if they tried anything it would go right through me, unable to touch me. I can go invisible for a moment and then appear right in front of them."

I nodded and Tyler said, "I can call a weapon, usually a couple small daggers that when touched to a physical person, will cause them phantom pain." I nodded again, thinking about what they could do.

"Maybe after Nasnan and Aalok finish their thing you two can distract the remaining ones while the rest of us try to incapitate them further. Fire, water, nature magic, and changing the weight of several weapons can go quite far," I said, thinking everything over.

Everyone nodded and I said, "Alright, we're going to our separate sides and try to brush up on our abilities. Try not to destroy the room please." Everyone laughed lightly at my attempt to lighten up the mood and went off to their separate areas.

Louise followed Felix since they had similar abilities, Tyler and Joey with themselves. Kyle and Johnnie stuck together, Damon following them since he had his down pretty well. Marzia went and sat by Troye, a water bottle in front of her. I assumed she was going to try and make it explode with her power, which would work rather well.

I stayed with Dan, knowing our magicks worked best together. I conjured a small flame and had it float in the air. "Can you make an ice globe around it? And see if it won't melt?" I asked and he nodded, small particles of ice already forming in the air. A few seconds later, a perfect globe was shaped around the flame, not melting and not cutting off the oxygen flow needed for the flame to burn.

I smiled proudly and pulled Dan against me, back against chest, whispering, "Keep it going," as I pressed a kiss to his neck. He shuddered, trying not to focus on the way I was trailing kisses down his neck and shoulders and concentrate on the ice globe. Distractions but able to work with said distractions was the best way to make a power strong.

"Ph-Hakan," Dan whisper-moaned as I bit down on a sensitive spot on his neck, a couple drops of water falling from the globe. "Don't let it melt, Bear," I whispered in response, my lips extremely close to his hear.

He nodded quickly, no more drops falling from the globe as he refocused on it, his body shaking as I continued my assult on his neck. I left a good sized mark on his collarbone and leaned back to admire it.

"Fuck it," Dan muttered and turned around, bringing his lips to mine. I got lost in the kiss, almost forgetting to keep the flame burning. His tongue swiped across my bottom lip and I parted my lips, letting our tongues meet.

We continued to make out for a few minutes before finally pulling away, looking up and noticing that the flame and globe continued to stay perfectly intact. I grinned and kissed Dan again quickly, saying, "Good job love."

He beamed and then looked up, the globe forming a perfect heart around the flame. It looked amazing, the cool blue of the ice with a glowing red centre. It was about the size of an average pendant, no bigger than a US quarter, but it still looked amazing.

"That's amazing," Troye whispered from beside us, making us jump. "Keep it like that, I want to try something," he continued and we nodded, wondering what he was going to do. He moved close to hit, removing his gloves but keeping both of his hands clenched in a fist.

He placed his hands around it, a bright light glowing from under his palms. A few moments later he pulled his hands away, quickly putting his gloves back on. He took the small ice heart from the air and held it out, a proud smile on his face.

"I made it so now it'll never melt and the flame will never go out," he said softly, letting Dan take it from his hand in awe. He held it in his hand and noticed that the ice had turned to practically glass, though the flame still flickered inside.

"This is amazing, Aalok," Dan whispered, showing it to me. Troye beamed, seeming really proud of himself. "I learned about my abilities doing that. I was getting ice one day a few years ago and my hand suddenly started glowing around the cube. When I'd put the cube down in shock, I'd realised it was now the same material as glass, but still ice. I'm glad you like it," he said happily and I smiled at him.

"We love it, Aalok, thank you," I said and he beamed again, skipping off to Tyler. Dan studied the small object, twirling it between his fingers. I thought for a second before getting some metal scraps from the cans we had in here and heating my fingertips. I bent the metal as much as I could, working to make a holder for the small pendant.

Finally, I finished and I took the heart from Dan's hand, nestling it into the metal frame. I tore a thin strip of cloth from my shirt and threaded it into the small hoop in the top and tied the ends, making a necklace.

I gestured for Dan to turn around and carefully slipped it over his head, the small heart resting just under his collarbone. "I know you made this, but that flame? It's me. I want you to know I'm always in your heart, even if I'm not here physically," I said softly and he frowned, turning around.

"Don't say it like that, please Phil. It sounds like you don't expect to make it out of this. I need you," he said, a slight tremble in his voice. I placed my hand on his cheek and kissed him softly.

"I already promised you, I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I want us to grow old together, adopt a couple children, get married. I want to live my life with you, and only you," I said and he nodded, tears gathering in his eyes. He hadn't cried the whole time we were here, but seeing these small tears broke my heart.

"I love you, Daniel," I said softly, my hand still cradling his cheek. A small, choked gasp came from his throat as my words registered. I'd never said that before, unable to find the right time, but now I felt that they needed to be said.

His tears finally fell and he threw his arms around me tightly, whispering, "I love you, Phillip," in my ear. I clung to him, burying my nose in his hair. We sat there for a while, taking comfort in each other's presences.

 _Hakan?_ PJ's voice sounded in my head and making me jump. _Yeah?_ I replied and he said, _We'll be there in less than an hour, how is everyone holding up?_

Hope filled me again but I quickly squashed it down, not wanting to get too hopeful. _Everyone is doing good, they're hopeful and determined. Who's all coming with you?_ I replied and he said, _Me, Zee, and several members of the royal guard. Apparently they have friends or loved ones who have abilities, and take this kind of offense personally._

I smiled a little sadistically which earned me a curious look from Dan. I shook my head and held up a finger as I replied to PJ, _Where are we? That's what I've been wondering._ Dan was watching me impatiently and I kissed him quickly to calm him down as PJ replied, _Scotland, actually. Quite strange really, but then again, that doctor is actually from England._

I frowned and shook my head, saying _Alright, thanks for the heads up. See you in an hour._ His soft laugh filled my head, tinged with excitement as he replied, _See you soon mate._

Dan tugged at my shirt impatiently and I rolled my eyes. "Ban said he and Zee are going to be here soon, about an hour and that we should be prepared. He also said that we are in Scotland, if you can believe it," I said and surprise and a controlled hope filled his eyes.

"So hopefully we'll be going home in just over an hour?" he asked, tentative hope in his voice and I smiled, taking his hand in mine and twining our fingers. "Yeah, hopefully in just over an hour we'll be going home," I said and suddenly I had an armful of Dan Howell squeezing the life out of me. **(that sounds amazing lol** )

I chuckled softly, pulling away from him and kissing his cheek. "Lets tell the others," I said and he nodded, excitement in his eyes. I chuckled again and helped him to his feet, getting everyone's attention as I stood in the middle of the room.

"I just got a message from Aaban, saying he, Ohanzee, and members of the royal guard will be arriving in an hour," I said and everyone gasped, varying levels of hope in all of their eyes. "I'm am highly positive that there will be a battle, so everyone, please be careful, and hopefully, we'll be going home in just over an hour," I said and determined expressions took over everyone's faces.

"We know the battle plan?" Dan asked and everyone nodded, shifting their postures. "Let's discuss and get ready for our friends' arrivals," I said and everyone sat down in a circle, immediately starting to discuss what was known and any questions any one might have had.

The hour came and went, everyone gathering all of the supplies in the room and separating them so it was evenly distributed. Once I got the message from PJ that they had arrived and were waiting at the doorway, I led everyone out the door, glancing back once before turning my back on it forever.

We headed down the hallway to where Dan remembered the main entrance was, barely running into anyone. It made me wary, and put everyone on edge. Halfway there, a block of about 20 guards with Jackson in the lead blocked our way, malicious glee on the assistant's face.

"And where do you think you're going?" Jackson asked, his posture seemingly relaxed but the sharpness in his eyes told otherwise. "We're going home, we're not going to deal with your abuse and prejudice anymore. We're not dangerous, we're not freaks, we're us. Everyday normal people with just a little bit of differences. You'd be surprised to know how many of us there are in the world," I said, my spine stiffening as he laughed.

"Oh, I am very aware of how many you guys there are in the world. You're all abnormal, and need to be fixed. If we can only do a little at a time, well, it's a start. Now, stop where you are, don't resist, and there won't be any harm," he said almost sweetly and I rolled my eyes.

"You really think we're going to submit to you? I remember you from school, Gregory Jackson. Wannabe emo, the loner, always more interested in belittling others. Sucks for you, nothing's changed. Except this time, you just add pain to the mix," Dan said and Jackson frowned, a look of confusion crossing his face.

"You went to school with me?" he asked bewildered and Dan laughed. "Yeah, I did. I haven't seen you in almost 8 years, but yeah, I went to school with you," he said, sounding almost disgusted at the fact.

Jackson studied him for a moment, a frown marring his features. "You were one of those kids who wasn't exactly popular, but you still had a good sized group of friends, one of the nerds, weren't you," he said and Dan rolled his eyes.

"Sure, call it whatever you like," he replied and Jackson shook his head. "Why can't I remember your name? I already know those names you gave us aren't your real names, but who are you?" he asked and Dan shook his head.

"I'm not about to tell you. Now, why don't you let us pass and you won't have to deal with us again," Dan said and Jackson shook his head. "No, this is my job, I'm not going to fail at it by letting you go," he said, readying his taser and electrical rod.

"Nasnan, Aalok, do you thing," I said, almost regretfully and the two stepped forward, the rest of us moving behind them so not to get caught in the cross fire. Marzia opened her mouth and a high pitched scream sounded, half the guards yelling out and falling to the ground, trickles of blood coming out of their ears.

Troye took off his gloves and a bright white light filled the room, narrowed to the other half of the room. Everyone left except Jackson and about four guards fell to the floor, leaving about seven guards and the assistant.

Tyler and Joey disappeared from where they were standing, suddenly appearing in front of the guards. Two of them gasped and swung at Joey, the rods going right through him as he smiled sweetly at them. As the remaining guards tried to gather their bearings, a group of about 10 more guards appeared, seeming to be confused at the chaos happening.

I conjured a flame as Dan, Felix and Kyle ran in one direction, myself, Damon and Johnnie in the other, the rest heading straight on. I created high walls of flames around several guards, Damon turning into his falcon and scratching at the necks and arms of others. Johnnie kept touching the weapons, wincing as they zapped him, but effectively made the accustomed balance of the weapons go haywire and throwing the guards off.

I felt a metal rod touch my neck and I gasped, feeling a sudden shock of high electricity flood my veins, my body jerking as I fell to the ground. "Hakan!" Dan shouted, a block of ice forming around the offending weapon and the guard's hand, another around his legs.

I shuddered on the floor, my heart rate too fast for comfort. Dan rushed to me and placed a hand on my chest, his water reacting with my fire and drawing out the shocks into a shifting red globe of water, looking really beautiful for something so deadly.

I took a couple quick breaths and looked up to thank him when I noticed Jackson standing behind him, something much deadlier than a taser in his hand. "No!" I shouted, moving faster than I thought possible and lunging over Dan, taking the blow intended for him.

I felt the knife pierce right between my shoulder blades, a cry of pain ripping its way out of my throat. "Phil!" Dan screamed, too terrified to use my other name. I fell to the ground, gasping as I felt the cool metal inside my back.

Dan tackled Jackson, his fingers covered in sharp icicles as he gripped the assistant's shoulder. Jackson shouted out as Dan drove the points into his shoulders, not killing him but causing him extreme pain.

He pulled away, his hands covered in blood and shock in his expression. He shook his head and turned to me, moving to me quickly. Everyone else had easily detained the rest of the guards, not killing anyone and everyone relatively unhurt.

Felix and Damon moved quickly to me, the strongest out of the entire group. Felix picked me up, telling Dan something I didn't hear as my ears were ringing too much. I felt movement, and assumed that we were heading to the doors again.

"Dan," I whispered, my eyes starting to close. "I'm right here, Phil, I'm not going anywhere. But don't you leave me, okay? You promise, you're not going anywhere," he said, his voice choked up and barely clear, but I still understood it.

I nodded, trying to fight the darkness trying to overcome my mind. I focused on my breathing, trying to keep it going but something was blocking my airways, making me cough instead. I felt something come out of my mouth, and worried it was blood. I was sure it was, at the very least.

"Hang in there, Hakan," Felix murmured and I nodded, struggling to open my eyes. I could still feel the knife in my back, and wondered dimly for a second why they didn't remove it but then remembered that if they took it out I would bleed out faster.

I heard a door open and the sensation of wind blowing against my face and the warmth of the sun gave me just enough energy to open my eyes, awe and happiness filling me. We were free now.

"The guards are inside, some are injured but we tried not to kill anyone. But the doctor is in a cell stuck in a block of ice and his assistant is currently kind of bleeding out on the floor. His wounds aren't fatal, but the blood loss might be, I kind of lost my head when he stabbed Phil," Dan said hurriedly to someone and my head moved in its own accord to look away from Felix.

Chris and PJ were standing there, looking relieved and worried at the same time, about 10 guards behind them. "Look out!" Chris suddenly yelled and everyone got down just as a bullet went off into the air.

I gave a whimper as Felix accidentally shook me, the knife shaking in my back. "Sorry," Felix said hurriedly and passed me over to one of the guards, taking me away from the fight happening.

"No! I can't- can't-" I gasped, not wanting to leave my friends. I was their leader, I needed to be there with them. "I'm sorry kid, but you need immediate attention, your friends are alright. My fellow guards are out there, and they've almost finished containing the offenders," the guard holding me but it didn't lessen my panic.

I tried to move but it just sent a stabbing pain through my spine and I realised that my legs had no feeling in them. "Don't move, you'll make it worse," the guard ordered and carefully laid me on my side in the helicopter they'd arrived in.

I was more focused on the sounds outside, though when he took the knife out of my back I couldn't help but shout out. "Sorry," he said off-handedly and started bandaging the area. "I can't do anything major right now, we'll have to wait to get to an actual hospital, but we do need to stop the bleeding. Does anything feel off?" he asked and I frowned, distracted by the sounds of several bullets going off outside.

"I-I can't feel my legs," I finally whispered and he was silent for a second before he replied, "The knife just scraped your spinal chord, the bone of your spine protecting it for the most part. It's quite possible you may be paralysed from the waist down."

Fear filled me but was quickly shoved aside as all my friends rushed onto the helicopter, only two guards and Chris and PJ following. The other 8 must have stayed back to detain the rest of the guards inside.

Dan rushed to my side, a gash on his cheek and fear in his eyes. "How is he?" he asked the guard tending to me and he replied, "The knife scraped his spinal chord, he said he can't feel his legs. So it's highly possible he's going to be permanently paralysed from the waist down."

Dan's hand in my hair shuddered and he whispered, "This happened because of me. He was pushing me out of the way and he took the blow instead. I'm so sorry, Phil, so sorry." I shook my head, feeling lightheaded from pain and blood loss.

 "No, Bear, it's not your fault. Even if I had known the results before I did it, I would do it again in a heartbeat," I said softly and he sighed, resting his forehead against my hair. "I'm going to give him a sedative so he'll sleep through the rest of the flight and won't get his heart rate up again," the guard said and Dan nodded, not moving from where he was resting.

I felt a needle go into my arm and I flinched, but a few seconds later, nothing.


	6. Chapter 5: Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phan's and the family's first (awake) day home!

I woke up to the sound of beeping, frowning confused. Where was I? This wasn't the cell, nor was it home, so where was I?

"Phil?" Dan's voice asked hopefully and I groaned, feeling stiff as I moved my head to the direction of his voice. "Bear?" I asked, my voice extremely hoarse. "Oh thank gods, you're awake, you want some water?" He asked, relief colouring his words and I nodded, carefully opening my eyes and discovering I was in a hospital.

He carefully held a straw to my lips and I quickly sipped at the water, feeling relieved as the liquid soothed my sore throat. "What happened?" I asked, unable to remember much after finding Johnnie, Kyle and Damon.

"We were escaping, like we'd planned, and Jackson tried to stab me. You, for some bloody reason, decided to push me out of the way and take it instead. You've been in a week long coma partially from blood loss and partially from medicinal reasons. How are your legs?" he asked, concern shining in his eyes.

I frowned in confusion and said, "What do you- wait. Dan, why can't I feel my legs?" I grew scared as I realised I couldn't feel anything below my waist, no matter how much I tried to move them. I started shaking and he quickly took my hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles.

"Phil, the knife scraped your spinal cord and the doctors don't know if you'll be permanently paralysed or not, but please, don't panic, we can make it through this," he begged and tears filled my eyes.

"How am I supposed to protect you if I can barely function by myself? I won't be any help to you, I'll just be in the way," I whispered and he kissed my fingers. "You're never in the way darling, and you don't always need to protect me. I'm 25, and my ability thanks to you is much stronger than ever," he said softly and I sighed, squeezing his fingers.

A doctor walked in and smiled as he saw that I was awake. "Mr. Lester, it's nice to see you in the waking world once again, how are you feeling?" he asked and I rolled my eyes, quickly wiping them.

"I feel fine, minus the fact that I can't feel anything below my waist," I said sarcastically, not caring at the moment that it was rude. I was paralysed, I was allowed to be rude.

He nodded, seemingly unaffected by my tone. "Yes, unfortunately we don't have the medicines or the scientific advancement to fix that, but we do have scientists working on trying to find a way to heal paralysis. For now, you will unfortunately be in a wheelchair," he said and I sighed, unhappy with that fact.

"You seem to be recovering quite well from the blood loss, though, and I think after one more night here tonight, you can go home in the morning," he said and I pushed myself up, wincing as my back ached.

"No! I'm not staying another night here, I've spent three months in a cell, I just want to go home, can't a nurse or someone just come check on me in the morning? I'm fine!" I protested and he studied me for a second, probably seeing the horror and pleading in my expression.

"I guess I can send a nurse to check on you early in the morning, but if anything happens tonight you will have to come back and stay here for a few days, for observation," he said finally and I nodded quickly, eager to just get back to my bed.

He signed a piece of paper and said, "You'll be allowed to leave in about an hour, so we can check your vitals and make sure the medications you'll need are ready. Mr. Howell, why don't you go find some clothes for Mr. Lester, and come back so he can change into something more comfortable."

Dan hesitated but nodded, leaning down to kiss my forehead before saying, "I'll be back in no more than a half hour. Thankfully, B- PJ and Chris brought all of us to London, almost everyone is in here for malnourishment or some kind of injury we didn't have the ability to heal while we were there."

I frowned but nodded, pulling him down for a kiss before letting him leave. I turned back to the doctor who said, "I'll have someone come fetch some lunch for you. You too, Mr. Lester, are extremely underweight and have some severe injuries from your imprisonment. I'll be right back, the television remote is right next to you if you grow bored."

I nodded and he left the room, leaving me to my thoughts. I couldn't help but try to move my legs again, frustrated and a little panicked when, once again, I couldn't. I sighed and flipped the TV to a random show, not really paying attention to it but I needed the background noise.

"Knock knock," PJ's voice said and I looked up to see him and Chris standing there, looking relieved and concerned at the same time. A smile crossed my face and I said, "Hey there, come in. I'd stand up to give you a hug, but I kind of can't."

PJ and Chris smiled softly and walked in, both giving me careful hugs. "I'm so glad to see you're awake, we've been going insane with worry since you were taken three months ago," Chris said as he and PJ took the seats next to the bed.

I sighed and said, "I'm sorry for worrying you. I want to know how they managed to find out where we were, but I wouldn't know the first place to look." They exchanged a look and PJ said, "Apparently they've been monitoring magical waves. When someone uses an ability, they set off a pulse and with you and Dan using yours at the same time, it created an extra strong pulse they caught."

I frowned, feeling a little guilty. If I hadn't asked Dan to show me his ability, we wouldn't have been in this position. "Don't feel guilty, it would have happened either way," PJ said firmly and I looked up, surprised he knew what I was thinking.

"Part angel, Phil. I have empathetic abilities added to the wings and other things," he said amused and I rolled my eyes again, leaning back a little more comfortably against the pillows. "Wonderful," I said and he laughed, leaning back against the back of the chair.

"So when do you get to go home? I know the others want to see you but they're not allowed out of their beds just yet," Chris said and I shrugged, wincing again as it pulled on the stitches in the middle of my back.

"They said I get to go home in less than an hour, but they have to come check on me before then to check vitals and all that other stuff. Then in the morning at home they're going to send a nurse to make sure I'm fine at home, and if not I have to come back and stay for a few days," I said, casual about the fact that I might have to come back. I mean, I'm sure I was going to be fine.

They nodded and sat back, starting a conversation about what has been going on since I'd been gone. "Daniel has been worried sick about Joey, that kid you rescued? Apparently they both are from the states, but had moved here to London about a year and a half ago, then a month or so ago Joey had just disappeared. Daniel's been putting up flyers, talked to the police, everything and nothing. Until I found one of the flyers and remembered what you said about Joey and talked to him. He's been one of the people helping find a way to get you guys out, I'm sure he'll be in here soon to thank you," Chris said and I shook my head.

"He doesn't need to thank me, I did it because it needed to be done. No one deserves to go through what they were putting us through, and Joey was in terrible shape when I found him. Dan and I healed as much as we could, but I don't know how well he's doing, any news on him or the others?" I asked and they looked at each other.

"Well, they're all considerably thin, a few bruises and some small cuts and whatnot. Really, all that was really bad about them was dehydration and hunger, but in the last week they're almost completely healed and should be going home within the next few days or so. You had gotten the worse of the treatment, since you apparently were the first one they picked up," Chris said and I nodded, frowning.

"Are you Phil Lester? Or Hakan?" a guy said from the doorway and I looked up, nodding curiously. "I'm Daniel, Joey's boyfriend. I just wanted to say thank you so much for saving him," he said, walking hesitantly into the room.

I shook my head and said, "There's no need to thank me, I'm glad I saved him." He smiled and said, "But still, thank you. He wouldn't have been alive if it weren't for you." I sighed internally and said, "You're welcome. You guys are welcome in Dan's and mine house any time."

He smiled and reached out to shake my hand, squeezing it once before saying, "I'm going to return to Joey now, he'd just fallen asleep but he won't be asleep for long. I just wanted to say thank you, I'll see you around. See you, Chris, PJ."

We all waved and he left the room, a slight warmth in my chest. "I told you he would be coming to say thank you," Chris said amused and I rolled my eyes. "I'm just happy I saved them, and that they're mostly alright. I know they're going to need a lot of help or whatever to get through the emotional and mental damage, but I know they're going to be alright now that they're away from all of that, stuff," I said and he nodded, smiling at me softly.

"I'm sure with the support from their friends and family and maybe us, they'll be perfectly fine," Dan's voice said from the doorway and I looked up, instinctively smiling as I noticed my beautiful boyfriend.

"Dan! Hey mate," PJ said happily and Dan smiled at him, walking in and pressing a kiss to my mouth. "Hey guys, you two been keeping Phil company while I got him some clothes?" he asked and they nodded, leaning back in their chairs again.

"Has the doctor come back in?" Dan asked and I shook my head, looking curiously at the bag he had in his hand. "Which clothes did you get?" I asked, kind of dreading what he picked. He probably chose something really dark, like he usually did when he picked my clothes, and all I really wanted at the moment was something bright, something to distract me from the fact that my legs can't move.

Dan chuckled and said, "I know you expected me to get you the darkest clothes I could find of yours, but I'm sure you didn't want that so I got you your bright red NASA shirt and a pair of blue jeans." He took them out of the bag and I lit up at the sight of the bright colour of one of my favourite shirts and the paleness of the blue jeans.

I reached out and took the shirt, cuddling it shamelessly. It even smelled like home, not like the closet, and I smiled happily, making Dan chuckle softly. "Chris, PJ, would you mind leaving for a second so I can help Phil get dressed? You guys can stand outside the door until I come get you," he asked and our friends nodded, standing up and walking out.

I carefully sat up with Dan's arm holding me up, removing the hospital gown and internally, extremely thankful that I had clean boxers on. I slipped on my shirt and smiled, starting to feel more like myself. I frowned as I looked at the jeans, wondering how I was supposed to get them on.

Dan set them aside and carefully picked me up, avoiding the stitches on my back and setting me down in the chair. He carefully slipped the jeans over my legs, which were completely unresponsive and limp. Thankfully, not too thin, but I was sure they were going to get there eventually.

He held me up and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he helped me slip the jeans around my waist, shame burning in my cheeks. I hated feeling this helpless, hated that I needed help to just put on my jeans. I just hated this.

Dan picked me up again and laid me back down on the bed, but over the covers and sitting propped up against the pillows. Right after, a knock came at the door and Dan said, "You can come in now." The door opened to show not only PJ and Chris but the doctor too.

Dan sat down next to me on the bed and asked a little eagerly, "He can go home now right?" The doctor smiled at him and said, "Once I finish with the checkup, which shouldn't last longer than 15 minutes. Now, why don't you join your friends and I'll quickly do what I need to then you can take your partner home."

Dan glanced at me before nodding, squeezing my hand momentarily before joining PJ and Chris by the door, but still in the room. The next 15 minutes was filled with normal things such as blood pressure, heart beat, a quick prick to the finger to check my sugar levels, checking my lungs, changing the bandages on my stitches, then a quick verbal quiz.

He checked a couple things off the clipboard in his hands and said, "You seem to be just fine, minus the fact you can't move your legs. But hopefully, we'll find a way to cure that soon, but for now, you'll have to use a wheelchair. I'll bring that then you can go home. We have your address so a nurse will come check on you tomorrow at noon."

I nodded, impatient to just be in my own bed, my own house. A place I hadn't been in three months. I wanted to cuddle my boyfriend while we caught up on the latest episodes of Dr. Who, comfortable on our sofa. I wanted out of here, and the next 5 minutes that it took for him to leave and return with the chair seemed to take forever.

PJ and Dan helped me into the chair, a slight wince coming as I accidentally put too much pressure on my back. The doctor handed Dan a slip of paper and said, "Give this to the pharmacy in the lobby, it's the medications Mr. Lester will need to take for the next month or two, depending on how much he'll need. One is a pain medication, one is in case his blood pressure drops, and one is for nerve healing. It's a new medication, but it's been tested for several months and so far, it does seem to be working."

Dan nodded and handed me the paper, a grimace on my face as I reluctantly accepted the fact that I would be on medications for the next couple months. "Now, I know the two of you have... extra abilities, but in Mr. Lester's current state, I would advise for him not to use them for the next week or so. They could take a toll on his healing, though I hear your two together do heal. But internal injuries, that's different. So no magic for the next week," he said and I frowned.

Not being allowed to use my abilities was almost as bad as the fact that I couldn't use my legs. My ability was a part of me, a tangible thing I could feel inside me and if it was locked away, even for a short period of time, it would start to itch, hurt. I didn't like this at all.

"No offense, doctor, but how much do you know about abilities?" PJ interrupted, and the doctor looked at him. "I know that it takes a lot of energy for one to use them, especially after being hurt so severely," he replied and PJ shook his head.

"If you force Phil to lock away his ability, even for a short period of time, it could seriously injure him. Not using one's ability is like making a person stop breathing, stopping their heart from beating. It's a, how do I explain this, an aura entwined with one's soul. They become depressed, they change, they aren't themselves anymore. Now, I agree that he shouldn't overdo it, but he does need to use it every now and again. Maybe, once or twice a day," PJ explained and the doctor seemed to be thinking it over.

"Very well, but not too often and not to large of a display. Simple things, but yes, you may use your ability," he said finally and I let out a sigh of relief, surprised at the strength of the sheer terror I'd been feeling at the thought of not being allowed to use my ability.

Dan pressed a kiss to my hair and said, "Can we go home now?" The doctor chuckled, shaking his head. "Yes, Mr. Howell. You may go home now. You have my office number, and the nurse's number, the one who'll be checking on you tomorrow. Call if you need anything, and enjoy the rest of your night," he said and the smile that appeared on my face kind of hurt, not used to the feeling for so long.

PJ and Chris smiled at my expression and let Dan push me out to the hallway. "Wait, before we go, can I check on the others?" I asked and Dan nodded, saying, "I was getting ready to take you to Tyler anyway, he's only three doors down from you." I nodded, happy that Dan knew me so well.

A few seconds later I was being pushed into a room similar to the one I'd just been in and I smiled as I saw our friend sitting up in his bed with a phone in his hand, a happy laugh coming from his chest at whatever he was watching.

"Phil! Dan! It's so good to see you, how are you?" he asked cheerfully as he set the phone down and I smiled. "I'm doing better, how are you doing?" I asked and he said, "Well, they've gotten the dehydration mostly fixed, the malurishment is going to take a little while, and they had to rebreak my ankle since it healed wrong but besides that, I'm doing really good. I'm just really happy to be away from there."

I smiled, nodding. Dan pushed me closer to the bed and he reached down to grasp my hand. "I heard about your legs, isn't there anything they can do about it?" he asked and I shook my head, a slight frown on my lips. "Unfortunately not, and I'm not supposed to overuse my ability for the next week or so, either. So that's going to be fun," I said sarcastically and he laughed, shaking his head.

"Even after that week together in the place, it's still so weird to hear you so cynical. That's Dan's thing," he joked and Dan said, "Hey now." "Hey now, this is what dreams are made of," the rest of us sang in harmony and then burst out laughing. This felt so much better after the hell we'd been through, and I was happy we made it out.

"Anyway, when are you supposed to be going home?" I asked after we'd managed to calm down to just a few chuckles, smiles still on our faces. "They said in a day or two, but I'm hoping tomorrow. Troye is already at my flat, since he was released two days ago. I just want to get home to him," he said and I nodded, understanding the feeling. Dan had been out after only two or three days apparently, since I'd managed to keep him from suffering too much.

"Well, I'm going to check on the others, I'll see you around. You and Troye better come to our place once you get out, we'll have everyone over for a celebration," I said and he nodded, eyes lighting up. "We'll hold you to that. Now, why don't you go visit the others and Troye and I will see you in a couple days," he said happily and I nodded, squeezing his palm before removing my hand and settling it in my lap.

Dan waved to him as he rolled me out, Chris and PJ following. "Next up, Felix and Marzia. They got to share a room, since neither were too bad with their injuries, though Marzia almost lost her voice. Felix is mostly fine, just overly malnurished and dehydrated, since he and Louise as nature elementals need more than usual since their practically part plant," Dan explained and I nodded, wondering about him.

"What about you? You're a water elementalist, don't you need more water?" I asked curiously and he shrugged, suddenly freezing as he closed his eyes for a second before shaking his head and continuing on.

"Bear, what was that?" I asked him and he bit his lip, looking down. "Um, the electrical currents and the natural double amount of water in my body messed with my nerves and it sometimes makes me freeze up or even just twitch at random moments. Other times it makes it feel like I'm on fire, or burning up," he said quietly and I frowned, anger coursing through my veins.

This information just strengthened my resolve to do what I needed, making it a little less hard to get it through the idea that this was against my morals. My boyfriend is going through this pain constantly because of what they did, and they needed to pay for it.

I shook my head and put a smile on my face as we rolled into Felix and Marzia's room, the two curled up together on one bed. "That's not your bed, Felix," Chris said playfully, making them jump and Marzia flush. "Sorry, I had a bad dream and he was comforting me," Marzia said softly, her voice rough but still understandable.

Hearing her normally sweet voice sound so harsh because of what they had done made me mad once more, and once again made my resolve to do what I needed stronger. Dr. Malachi and Jackson were going to pay for what they did to my friends, no, my family, and I was going to do something about it..

"That's understandable. Whenever I had a bad dream I would climb in next to Phil even though I wasn't supposed to and curl up against him, it's nothing to be ashamed about," Dan said sweetly and she smiled at him, once again placing her head on Felix's chest.

"I hear you're going home?" Felix said and I nodded, rolling my eyes. "Who told you, Chris or PJ?" I asked and he laughed. "Both, they've been spreading the word since Dan told them on the way out earlier. They seem really excited about it," he teased and I looked up to see twin blushes on their faces.

"Awe, did Chris and Peej miss me?" I cooed and they simutanously smacked me upside the head. I laughed as I ducked, ignoring the brief stab of pain in my back. "Love you guys too," I said chuckling and they smiled, this time patting my head.

"I think they're just happy their shorter than me now," I said and Dan laughed. "Not technically, you're still taller than them, you're just sitting for now," he said and they both stuck their tongues out at him. This time all of us laughed, Marzia coughing halfway through the laugh.

Felix pressed a kiss to her forehead and said, "Well, I'm sure she's still tired, so we're happy you're getting out and hopefully we'll see you in a couple of days. Her throat's almost healed, just a little sore, so we'll be getting out in the next day or two. I don't believe we'll be going back to Sweden any time soon."

I nodded and said, "Well, then, you can join us at our house maybe this weekend. Today is Tuesday right?" Dan nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. I wondered at that but ignored it for now, turning back to the others. "See you this weekend then, do you know where you'll be staying when you get out?" I asked and they shook their heads.

"Probably with Chris or PJ, or a hotel, we're not sure yet. But we have a day or two to figure this out, so we'll be fine," Felix said and I nodded. "We're going to check on Louise now, we'll see you later," Dan said and they waved, Marzia blowing us a kiss as she closed her eyes. Even as we left the room, I could hear her breathing even out as she fell asleep.

A couple minutes later, we were outside Louise's room, Dan looking in to make sure she wasn't asleep. "Phil! Thank gods you're awake, how are you feeling?" she asked relieved as she sat up in the bed, a smile on her face. I smiled back and said, "Doing pretty good considering."

She nodded, smiling at Chris and PJ. "You hoes haven't come and seen me, where've you been?" she said to them and I snickered as her words. The duo rolled their eyes and PJ said, "We've been putting strong wards on your guys' places so no one can get in without a password. So far, only those who had been in the cells have the passwords, and we'll tell you guys what it is so you can tell your families. And yes, Matt and Darcy are fine. I don't think they know though that you're awake, but they've been in a few times to check on you. I'm sure they'll be here in the morning."

Louise nodded happily, probably excited to see her husband and daughter after so long away from them. "Also, did you know that Darcy is showing signs of being a magical? Matt found her levitating objects the other day," Chris said and a few conflicting emotions flicked across her features. Pride, fear, concern, happiness. I understood that.

"Don't worry though, she'll be fine. The wards are extra strong, and no one will be able to touch her," PJ reassured her and Louise nodded, still looking a little concerned. "Do you have an idea of what she is?" she asked and PJ shrugged, saying, "A little, but I know I can help her learn her ability. I can show her how to hide it from other people who don't know about it, she's a really intelligent 4 year old."

Louise smiled proudly and said, "Of course she is, she's my daughter." I laughed lightly before yawning, still feeling the after effects of the medicinal coma I'd been in. "We're going to be going now, we just wanted to come and check on you, and tell you that this weekend we're going to be hosting a small party for a celebration that we all made it out alive," Dan said and she nodded, smiling.

"I'll be there then, can Matt and Darcy come too?" she asked and we nodded, I hadn't seen the little girl for a long time now, even before the kidnapping. "Sure, the more the merrier," I said happily and she laughed, blowing me a kiss. "Go get some sleep, Lester, I'll see you this weekend," she said and I smiled, blowing one back. "You too, Pentland," I said playfully and she laughed.

Dan rolled me out of there and said, "Do you want to see Joey? He's just right here." I nodded and he rolled me in there after knocking on the door, Daniel opening the door. "Hey guys, come in, Joey wanted to see you before you left," he said happily, moving aside to let us in.

"Hello there," Joey said happily, sitting up and wincing, a hand pressed to his side. "What happened?" I asked, knowing that Dan and I'd healed him a while ago. "As we were escaping one of the guards managed to hit my ribs with a rod, breaking a rib and zapping me. It's not too bad, just when I move wrong," he replied and I nodded, a little concerned.

"Here, let me see," PJ said, moving forward. Joey looked a little surprised but let PJ place a hand on his side, a small glow coming from his eyes before fading. "How's that?" he asked and Joey took a breath, shock in his expression. "Did you heal it? Thank you so much!" Joey said happily, and PJ laughed.

"No problem, I don't like seeing my friends in pain," he replied and the younger boy beamed at him. "That means I should be able to go home soon, they said once I was able to breathe without too much pain I could go home," he said happily and Daniel said, "Thank you, you've already done so much for him, this is really appreciated."

PJ waved the thanks off, looking a little flustered. "It's no problem, just doing what I can to help," he said modestly, a little shy. Chris cooed at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. PJ rolled his eyes but didn't throw his arm off, instead just reaching up and letting his fingers hook on Chris's.

I wondered about that, before I had been taken, they'd been close but kind of skirting around each other, but now they seemed closer than before. Were they together finally? They'd better be, it would be some really good news.

"Well, Joey, Daniel, if you guys would like, we're hosting a small get together this weekend to celebrate our freedom, and you're invited," Dan said and Joey's eyes lit up. "Hell yeah we would like to be there," Joey said excitedly and I laughed. "We'll see you there then, we'll make sure you get our address," I said and he beamed.

I laughed before yawning again, getting frustrated with myself. "We're going home now, Phil looks like he's about to fall asleep," Dan said amused and I flipped him off, making PJ and Chris look at me surprised but Dan just laugh. "Don't worry, he's changed a little, a bit more sarcastic than usual, I kind of like it," he said, winking at me.

I rolled my eyes and Dan laughed again. "Alright, see you guys this weekend, if not sooner," Joey said happily and I waved, letting Dan roll me out. "Alright, let's get to the car, I'm sure you're eager to just get to your bed," he said amused and I nodded, not even denying it. "Just as long as you come cuddle me," I said and Dan laughed lightly. "Of course, what else?" he said and I just beamed at him.

As we headed down, I looked at Chris and PJ. "So, are you together finally or not?" I asked bluntly, making their eyes widen and start stammering. "I mean, um, I- PJ?" Chris stuttered and PJ just looked at him for a second before saying, "Yeah, two days before you were taken actually. We were going to tell you, but you know, shit happened."

I nodded, a small smile on my face. "Good, I've been shipping you guys forever now," I said and they rolled their eyes, their fingers entwining. I smiled at that and looked forward, eager to feel the sun on my skin once again after so long. Even that day when we'd escaped, I still hadn't gotten to enjoy the sun, and now I could.

We went outside and I took a deep breath, happy that I could feel that warmth I hadn't gotten to enjoy in so long. Dan laughed lightly and said, "I did the same thing. Who would have thought that us vampires would miss the sunlight." I laughed and nodded as we grew close to PJ's car.

Dan opened the passenger door and with Chris's help, lifted me into the seat while PJ folded the chair and put it into the trunk. Dan got into the back with Chris while PJ got into the driver's seat, starting the car and rolling down the windows. It may have been mid December, but it was still nice out surprisingly.

PJ turned on the radio and a song I didn't know was on, but I recognised the singer. "Is this All Time Low?" I asked and PJ nodded. "Yeah, this song came out a couple weeks ago, it's called Dirty Laundry, I enjoy it a lot," he said, turning it up.

 _I don't believe in saints_  
They never make mistakes  
I know it's not my place  
Who am I to tell you that you need to change

 _Her closet's such a mess_  
filled up with all the skeletons she's kept  
Nobody's perfect, I confess  
But she's perfect enough without ever dressing up, yeah

 _Dirty laundry, is piling in her room_  
She's got her secrets  
yeah I got mine, too  
I don't care about what you did,  
I only care about what we do  
Dirty laundry, looks good on you

 _Now here's some honesty_  
Sometimes I trip over your history  
Wish I could change my mind  
but it's the things I shouldn't see that always catch my eye

 _Dirty laundry, is piling in her room_  
She's got her secrets  
yeah I got mine, too  
I don't care about what you did,  
I only care about what we do  
Dirty laundry, looks good on you

 _Dirty laundry, is piling in her room_  
She's got her secrets  
yeah I got mine, too  
I don't care about what you did,  
I only care about what we do  
Dirty laundry, looks good on you

I smiled as the song finished, relaxing back against the seat as we pulled around a corner, not a mile away from Dan and mine's flat. I made a mental note to download the song later, and catch up on any music my favourite bands might have released the last few months.

We pulled up to the house and I smiled at the sight of my flat and opened the door, wanting to rush inside but forgetting that I couldn't move my legs. I frowned but smiled as Chris and Dan appeared by my side, Dan lifting me up and not even waiting for PJ with my chair and just carrying me inside.

"I figured you wouldn't want to go inside in a chair, so I'm just going to carry you. Besides, I like holding you," he said happily and I laughed, resting my head on his shoulder as he carried me inside. I smiled as I saw my familiar home, my couch and Dan's sofa crease where he always sat with his laptop still there.

"Home," I whispered and he kissed my forehead as he walked me to my room, the blankets still a mess from when we'd been rudely interrupted from our sleep. Chris rolled my chair into the room and Dan set me down into it and made the bed quickly as I rolled myself over. That was going to take some getting used to, since my arms were shit.

Dan made a movement to help me to the bed but I shook my head, wanting to try. I locked the wheels once I got myself close to the bed and lifted myself off the chair, wincing as my spine protested from the movement but managed to get myself onto the bed. I took a breath and pulled myself to the pillows, moving my legs so they were straight and laying back and basked in the slight victory of being able to do that.

Dan smiled proudly and Chris and PJ gave a small applause. I rolled my eyes, flushing lightly. They laughed and PJ said, "We're going to go get something to eat, I'm sure you'll want something, right?" I nodded, eager for some greasy fast food.

They nodded and left, twining their fingers as they went and Dan moved around the side of the bed, crawling in next to me and curling up against my chest. I tucked him under my chin and pulled him close, breathing in the soft vanilla he liked to use for his hair and the smell that was just purely _Dan_. I felt myself relax and I pressed a kiss to his hair.

I felt something hard against my chest and pulled away slightly to feel what it was. He sat up and smiled, pulling out the heart necklace he kept around his neck. "It kept me going the week you were unconscious, and I don't think I'll be taking it off anytime soon," he said softly and I touched the small area where my flame showed, a smile on my lips.

I pulled him down to me and kissed him deeply, parting his lips with my tongue. He dropped the necklace against his chest and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, letting his tongue to meet mine in the middle. I felt myself react and flushed, kind of happy that didn't get messed up with the paralysis.

Dan pulled back and flushed when he saw my problem, a small smirk on his lips. He leaned down to kiss me again, making me jump when he cupped me. My hand tightened shocked on his shoulder, pulling him closer than before. His hand moved slightly and a small moan escaped my throat, making him smirk against my lips.

He pulled away, looking a little uncertain. I smiled and took over, carefully rolling over even though my legs didn't react and pulled him against my chest again. His hand was still cupping me but I carefully pulled his hand away, pulling his hips against mine. He whimpered as I pressed my mouth against his, carefully moving my hips against his.

He let out a couple small gasps as I rolled my hips, my mouth breaking away from his and starting to trail kisses down his neck. His head fell back as he gave me better access, his hips moving in rhythm with mine. "Phil, please," he whispered and I nipped at a sensitive part of his neck, my hand moving down his side and to his hips, stilling them so I could control it better.

He was starting to shake, his eyes glowing and his cheeks flushed. "Are you close baby boy?" I asked softly and he nodded quickly, desperation and need glowing in his expression. I could feel my end growing close so I whispered, "C'mon love, come for me."

He let out a half gasp, half cry as he clung to my shoulders, his shaking intensifying as I felt him shiver against my hips. I closed my eyes and let out a quiet gasp as I followed him right after, resting my head against his. He went limp against my chest, breathing a little heavily. I pulled him close, grimacing lightly at the stickiness in my jeans.

"C'mon love, lets go take a shower, alright?" I said softly and he nodded sleepily, standing up and helping me out of the bed. We got to the shower and I noticed that there wasn't anything for me to sit on in the shower and I frowned, but before I could ask Dan retuned with one of the folding chairs from the kitchen.

He set it up inside and yawned, looking younger than he usually did. I smiled fondly at him and pulled off my shirt, Dan doing the same until he was just standing in his boxers, fiddling with the tap for the shower. He turned around and helped me take my jeans and boxers off, lifting me carefully and setting me onto the chair in the shower.

He climbed in next to me and I realised this was the first time I was seeing him completely naked. I sat there admiring him, loving the absolute god that was my boyfriend. He noticed me watching him and he flushed, eyes looking down. I chuckled lightly and said, "Hey, come here."

He knelt down in front of me and I ran my fingers through his wet hair, making him hum happily. "What did I ever do to deserve such an amazingly beautiful boyfriend?" I asked, mostly to myself but he smiled, flushing. "Probably the same thing I did to deserve you," he replied softly and I pulled him closer to kiss him softly.

He pulled away after a few seconds to stand up and grab the shampoo and conditioner, carefully massaging them one by one in my hair, kneeling down and letting me do the same to him. I leaned forward after I'd rinsed it out and pressed a kiss to his neck, making him shiver.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" I asked him softly and he looked up at me, smiling softly. "I don't think so," he said and I chuckled lightly, tracing his jaw bone. "You're my light, you're my star, you're the flame that keeps me going, my happiness, my other half, and there's nothing in this world that could ever make me want to give you up. I love you so much, Daniel James Howell, and I don't think I'll ever stop," I said softly and he flushed, his tears mingling with the water on his face.

He seemed unable to find words so instead, he just leaned forward, capturing my lips in a passionate kiss, tangling his fingers in my hair. I kissed back desperately, my heart warming at the fact that this beautiful boy was mine. And I wasn't going to give him up, no matter what.

A few minutes later we broke apart and Dan flushed, standing up and turning off the water. "I think Chris and PJ are back," he said softly and I chuckled, enjoying the sight of him getting out of the shower and handing me a towel. I dried off as much as I could while sitting down in this wet chair as he dried off quickly, getting dressed.

He set a towel onto my wheelchair and carefully lifted me out of the shower, settling me down onto my chair. I carefully dried the rest of myself off, letting Dan help me dress. I slipped my blue button up shirt on once my boxers and jeans were on, loving the feel of being myself once again.

He rolled me out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, seeing PJ and Chris setting out food from the burger joint down the road. "Hey guys, how are you feeling?" PJ asked amused and I rolled my eyes, Dan flushing lightly. "I had fun," I said playfully and Dan flushed darker, flicking my ear. I laughed as I backed away from the offending hand, making the other three laugh.

Dan rolled me to the table side and Chris placed a large ass burger in front of me, a large thing of chips and a vanilla milkshake. I hummed happily, immediately taking the lid off the shake and dipping a chip into it, humming once more as I ate it. Dan shook his head amused and proceeded to take a rather large bite out of his burger, humming similarly to what I had just done.

Chris and PJ laughed lightly but let us enjoy our meal. It had been too long since we'd had something like this. We finished our food quickly and went to the living room, the four of us, and sat down onto the couch with Dan curled up against my side and Chris curled up against PJ as we sat down to watch some TV, just relaxing.

I smiled, running a hand through Dan's hair and felt overly grateful that we had made it out of there alive and mostly well. I pressed a kiss to Dan's hair, smiling happily as he giggled at something on the TV. I knew this happiness wouldn't last for too long, but I revered in it while it was here. I just hoped that Dan would be able to accept what I needed to do, I couldn't lose him over it.


	7. Chapter 6: How?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil gets kidnapped once again and tortured (and more)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR WARNING HERE!!!! There will be rape and torture in this chapter, but I tried to make it non graphic alright?? I'll put bold astrics where the rape starts and ends okay?? there'll be a couple scenes but nothing graphic. stay safe, I love you all!

**_1 month later_ **

I sighed as I rolled myself down to the kitchen, looking for some cereal. I searched for a little while before realising that Dan had put the good cereal on top of the fridge, which meant it was his cereal. He always made sure to put the cereal I ate usually in the bottom cupboard so I could reach it, but apparently he'd gotten tired of me stealing his.

I looked around pointlessly, since Dan was out with Louise and Tyler, and pulled a table chair closer to me. I'd done this before, climbing onto the counter without legs, but didn't mean I liked it. This last month of rolling myself around had given me some alright biceps, but still didn't mean I was like, The Rock or someone.

I shook my head and focused on not tipping the chair as I pulled myself onto it, slowly climbing my way up a couple more chairs before finally managing to pull myself onto counter. I shook my head again and wondered if a box of Wheaties was worth the effort, but after a second I decided it was. I carefully pulled my legs up and turned around, arranging them so I was sitting on my knees.

I'd gotten good at that, manoeuvring my legs so I wold seem to be sitting on my knees or heels, but it felt weird. Because I could see myself sitting on my legs, feel it in my bum, but I couldn't feel it in my legs. They were completely numb. I reached up carefully, knowing what it felt like when I lost balance and fell over, and from this height with the three chairs under me, that thought was kind of frightening.

After a second of fishing I managed to grab the box of cereal and gave a small 'ha' of victory. I set it into one of the chairs under me and carefully maneuvered myself around so I could push myself off the counter and into my chair. I hadn't done this before, but I thought I could do alright.

I scooted as close as I dared to the edge of the counter and pulled my chair next to me, making sure the breaks were still on before closing my eyes and pushing myself off the counter. I landed odd, but managed to make into my chair and I let out a shaky victorious and shocked laugh. I shook my head and moved myself around before reaching for the cereal, setting it into my lap and putting the other chairs back.

I rolled myself happily to the living room, planning on curling up with the cereal and watching some Supernatural. I managed to get onto the couch and curled up, turning on the episode I'd left off on, LARP and The Real Girl (Season 8 Episode 11) and opened the box. I took a handful of the cereal and munched on a little of it, almost choking later on as Charlie came into the episode. She was my queen and it had been too long since I'd seen her.

I squealed happily as she stared at Sam and Dean and gigged to myself, not hearing the front door open. I heard it when it closed though, and immediately sat up, scared. Dan wasn't supposed to be home yet, he said about 5, and it was only 1. I set the cereal off to the side and paused the show, listening hard. My flames crackled under my skin, setting me on edge.

I focused on the doorway, not paying any attention to anything else as I listened as hard as I could. Suddenly, I heard the sound of fabric behind me and whirled around before everything went dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke to a sharp smack across my cheeks, a gasp flying from my throat. My eyes jerked open and everything was blurry, seeing as they'd taken my glasses when whoever it was took me.  I assessed myself and realised I was only in a pair of boxers, tied to a table.

"Awake finally, are we?" the person in front of me said sarcastically as he walked away muttering to himself and I gasped.

Jackson.

"H-How did you get out of jail? How did you survive what Ryo did to you?" I stuttered out, my voice hoarse. He laughed, shaking his head. "Dan didn't do a lot to me, just gave me some wicked scars on my shoulders," he replied and horrified I realised that he used Dan's real name. "So, Phil, do you want to know why I'm here and why you're here? And not your precious boy toy?" he asked and I shook with terror and a spark of fury.

"How do you know our names?" I asked, trying to test the ropes tied around my wrists without him noticing. "I checked my old college yearbook, knowing that I'd recognise the kid once I saw him. Dan Howell, such a wannabe emo back then. I looked him up, and found out he was living with a guy called Phil Lester. Looked him and up and lo and behold, I found you," he said smugly, picking up a small metal rod.

I shook, looking anywhere but at him. I noticed we were in some kind of basement, and that there was a small, broken window about three feet to my left, but too high for me to reach and anyhow, I was tied to this bed. I was sure he didn't bother trying to tie my legs as he figured I couldn't work them, which was his fault.

Wait, that's right. It's his fault I'm paralysed, it's his fault Dan still wakes up terrified and clinging to me, it's his fault that my friends still come over with haunted eyes at two am, it's his fault everything happened. Him and that Dr. Malachi.

Anger filled me, an emotion I hadn't felt truly since we'd been rescued. I felt my flames start warming my skin and I tried to hide it, unsure if he had any of that serum that would neutralise my ability. I wanted to set his clothes on fire, a type of fire that couldn't be put out and watch him burn. I wanted to see him scream in the same kind of agony I had heard those few times they took Dan.

I wanted to see him dead.

I shook those thought out of my head, horrified with myself. I didn't want to kill Jackson, but I did want to see him suffer. But first, I needed some information.

"Where are we?" I asked, trying to make the tremors in my voice sound as if they were from fear and not hatred or anger. It seemed to have succeeded as he turned and faced me, an amused smile on his face.

"Well, as I don't expect you to live for too long, I guess it wouldn't hurt too much to tell you. We're in Manchester, in the outskirts. An interesting little place, in a bit of a shady neighbourhood, but hey, I'm not paying the rent here. My father is, the bastard, but hey, he's made of money," he said, a hint of insanity in his voice.

That made me truly scared, the insane had no problem or regrets on doing whatever they wanted to do. He would hurt me and not think twice about it. He would probably laugh about it, actually. _Dan, Chris, PJ, please,_ I begged mentally as he walked closer to me with the metal rod.

"Where should this go first? I know, this will only hurt a lot, but don't worry, no one will hear your screams except me," he said gleefully, ramming the spiked point directly into my shoulder joint. I screamed as I felt the bone crack, my arm going numb around the insertion hole. And with my arms tied up, I couldn't grasp at it like I wanted.

"Ahh, doesn't that sound pretty. The sound of the bone snapping, the sound of the metal scraping the skin, your screams. What happened to me, is because of you and your friends. I haven't been able to break into their houses just yet, but I can deal with just you. After all, you were their leader," he sneered and I gasped out as he yanked the rod out of my shoulder, covering his face with my blood.

He carelessly wiped it away with his hand and walked over to his table, leaving me to catch my breath as much as I could. "How long have I been here?" I asked, hoping to distract him. "Not long, only two days. That chloroform I gave you must have been too much, but it gave me enough time to move you and tie you up. You'd only been up there for about four hours before you woke," he said carelessly, examining another rod, this one bigger.

"Now, where else can I stick you where it would hurt the most?" he asked himself, studying me as if I were some kind of animal. "Ah, here we are," he said happily and quickly rammed the rod into my stomach, missing any major organs but still causing a lot of damage. I felt like I couldn't breathe, a burning in my stomach unfamiliar.

I tried to focus on my flames, but instead Dan's brown eyes filled my head. The way they would crinkle when he laughed, that shine in his eyes as he smiled. The various shades of brown they would be depending on his mood. Daniel. Bear. Ryo. Dan. My love.

I wouldn't see him again, I knew it. I wouldn't be able to feel the warmth of his skin against mine as he curled up against me half asleep. Wouldn't hear his beautiful laugh as Chris or PJ did something weird. Wouldn't feel his lips against mine after listening to one of our favourite songs. Wouldn't be able to tell him I loved him once more.

Tears of grief joined the tears of pain and terror, a strangled cry coming from my throat as Jackson ripped the metal rod out of me. "I heard you're dating Dan. Another freaky thing about you to add to the list. Freak of nature, faggot, loner, pathetic. I'm doing the world a favour doing this, one less disease to ruin the streets," he said, sounding far away.

I trembled as my body tried to reject the pain, the stress hurting almost as much as the stab wounds. "Maybe I'll leave Dan alone. I won't hurt him. Just drop your body off in front of the doorstep, a goodbye present. That would be nice wouldn't it? For him to see you one last time, all mangled up and bloody. I would say pale, but you're already snow white aren't you," he said, picking up a knife this time.

"Leave him alone," I spat, trying to stop crying. "You touch Dan, and I'll make you regret it. I don't care how, I will make you regret it." He laughed, shaking his head. "Don't you realise, Phil. You're not getting out of this room alive, and even now, you can't move. You're helpless, weak. You can't even walk, so how are you supposed to do anything?" he said mockingly and I spat in his face.

He wiped his face disgusted, eyes looking at me pissed. He didn't say anything, just struck out with the knife and made a long gash against my chest, blood flying everywhere as once again an unfamiliar fire filled my veins. I screamed, pulling against the ropes on my arms and he laughed, using the back of his hand to wipe away the blood splatter on his face.

"Blood is such a pretty thing, so deep and colourful. Just look at it," he said, using his fingers to wipe some of the blood dripping down from the gash in my chest and drawing random lines across my skin. I tried to avoid his fingers, feeling disgusted at his touch.

A curious light filled his eyes and he trailed his fingers down my torso, making me cringe. "Blood makes everything better, doesn't it," he whispered, continuing to draw patterns on my skin with my own blood, slowly getting lower.

"Stop, please, don't," I begged, having a feeling of what was about to happen. He shook his head violently, an insane grin on his face. "Why should I? You're a faggot, you should like it," he sneered, gathering more blood on his fingers and tracing them lower and lower until he reached the hem of my boxers.

" _Please,_ no, stop!" I cried, pulling at the ropes around my wrists and causing more blood to drip down my arms. He shook his head and dropped the knife and yanked my boxers down. I closed my eyes and let out a sob as he did what he planned to do, hating myself with every passing second as my body reacted unwillingly.

 _Dan, please, save me,_ I begged mentally after he finished and left me there, shivering and bleeding. Finally, I blacked out and thought no more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up feeling sore and still covered in dry blood. The gashes had been bandaged up, but I was still tied up and naked. I looked around as much as I could without my glasses and saw Jackson's blurry form standing by that table.

"Good, you're awake. Just in time too, I need something from you," he said, his voice calm but still unsettling. "What is that?" I croaked, my throat and mouth extremely dry. "Blood, I enjoyed seeing it run down your body," he said happily, picking up a small object and walked back to me. I didn't even move away, knowing it would be pointless.

He struck out with the pointed metal rod, leaving a long gash across my chest and making me cry out in pain. He made a couple more gashes, carving words into my skin that I couldn't tell what they said. He dropped the rod once more and started drawing patterns on my skin again, a gleeful smile on his face.

************************

"I can see why Howell enjoys your body, it reacts so well to touch doesn't it? Hmm, maybe I can have some more fun with you before I kill you," he said, practically to himself as he trailed his fingers lower once again.

I closed my eyes and let out a quiet sob feeling his fingers in my most private place. A horror that wasn't mine filled my head and I grew confused, even as Jackson pressed himself into me.

************************

_Phil? It's PJ, we're close to finding you, we need to get you away from there,_ PJ's voice filled my head and tears of relief joined the tears of pain and self-hatred on my cheeks. _Please, help,_ I whimpered and concern filled my head.

 _We'll be getting you out soon, I promise. Do you have any idea where you are?_ he asked me and I tried to focus beyond the feeling of the abuse my body was feeling, but wasn't able to. _I can't he told me, but I can't think, help, please, help me,_ I begged, trying to get away from Jackson's hold.

"Stop, please, don't do this, please," I begged him and he just laughed breathlessly, a couple gasps falling from his lips. "I don't believe so, you're so tight, better than any bitch I could find," he sneered, leaning down and pressing his mouth against mine even as I twisted my head away.

 _PJ, please, get me out of here,_ I begged the angel and he said softly, _We're trying, Lion, I promise, we're trying. Listen to me, don't focus on him, listen to me okay? I'm right here, can you tell me what he told you yesterday?_ I let out a sob but tried to focus on the comfort he was trying to give me.

 _Manchester, he said the outskirts in a shady place, I don't know where though. He said his dad is paying for the place, I'm in a basement. Please, help,_ I begged again, losing my focus as Jackson bit down on my collarbone, my body reacting unwillingly again as I felt a coil in my stomach area.

******************

I couldn't help it as I released, more sobs of hatred against myself tearing from my chest. "Such a good slut, aren't you?" Jackson whispered, closing his eyes as he finished inside me. He pulled himself out carelessly and I sobbed, seeing more than feeling as he set my useless legs down.

*******************

He chuckled to himself as he pulled his jeans back up, leaving me once again just laying there as he left the room. _We found the area, but we're still trying to find the house in Jackson's name. I promise Lion, we're going to find you. Dan hasn't rested once since he discovered you were gone,_ he said and relief filled me as I heard that Dan was alright.

 _Keep him safe, please, don't let him get hurt_ , I begged him and he reassured me, _Trust me, he and all our friends will be fine. Right now, we're focusing on you and getting you out of there, alright?_   I set back a weak pulse of acceptance, feeling lightheaded once more from blood loss and no food or water for the last three or four days.

 _Stay awake Lion, please, we don't know what'll happen if you fall asleep, please, stay awake,_ PJ begged and I struggled to do so, attempting to open my eyes but I couldn't. _I'm sorry, tell Dan I love him and I always will,_ I replied faintly, feeling the darkness creep over my limbs. _Phil! Please, wake up!_ PJ begged but I couldn't, finally giving in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up to a beeping sound, a frown crossing my face as I realised my hands were free. "Wake up Lion, please," PJ's voice whispered, and I suddenly realised it wasn't in my head, it was right next to me.

I moved my head weakly and three gasps were heard. "Phil?" Dan's scratchy voice asked, sounding directly to my left. I felt hands wrap around mine and couldn't help the flinch that was the instinctual reaction. My eyes flew open and I attempted to move away from the hold, a terrified whimper coming from my throat.

"Please, no, don't hurt me," I whimpered, stuck in that basement and seeing Jackson holding onto me, not the white walls surrounding me or Dan's concerned brown eyes. "Love, hey look at me Phil, it's me, Dan, see?" Dan's voice said from Jackson's mouth and slowly the image faded, the cruel expression being replaced by Dan's worried one.

"Dan?" I whispered and relief crossed his face. "I'm right here, you're safe now," he said softly and I looked around, seeing PJ and Chris sitting on my other side and looking utterly relieved. I couldn't help the sobs that made my shoulders shake, relief and self disgust filling me as Dan wrapped his arms gently around me, whispering softly into my ear.

 I clung to him, ignoring the aches I felt from the multiple gashes on my body and the cast around my shoulder. "I have you Lion, don't worry," he whispered, running his fingers through my hair softly. What felt like hours later but was probably only 10 or 15 minutes later, my tears finally stopped but I didn't stop clinging to Dan's shirt.

A doctor walked in and I flinched, terror growing in me again as he walked closer. "No, no," I whimpered and Dan held me tighter, whispering, "It's alright love, he's here to help." I shook my head terrified, not wanting him near me.

"Would you feel more comfortable if there was a female doctor instead?" Chris asked softly and I thought for a second, unable to take my eyes away from the unknown person in the room. Finally I nodded and the doctor gave me a sad smile and said, "I'll send in Dr. Edwards, she'll take over the rest of your care if you'd like."

I felt guilty, he was only trying to do his job, but I couldn't help but feel terrified of this unknown male near me. "Yes please, I'm sorry," I said quietly but he still heard me, saying, "It's no problem, Mr. Lester. Anything to make your stay a bit more comfortable." I nodded, loosening my death grip on Dan's shirt ever so slightly.

He left and I whispered, "I'm sorry." Dan kissed my forehead and said, "It's alright, Lion. You have every right to be scared after what you went through." I shuddered at the memories and buried my head into his chest, feeling the small ice and flame pendant under his shirt.

He leaned back a little and carefully took the pendant off his neck, putting it on mine instead. I set the small pendant in my palm and gave a shaky smile, feeling Dan's power surrounding mine. "You need it more than I do, Lion," Dan said softly, pressing another soft kiss to my forehead.

As he did so, a light filled the room. I gasped as I felt the aches fade, felt the bone in my shoulder fix itself and suddenly, I could feel how Dan's legs were wrapped around mine. The light faded and I gasped as I tried to move my legs, my right one responding weakly.

"H-How?" I asked, unable to ask anything else. PJ smiled proudly and said, "It's the bond between you two. I'd been waiting for so long for it to awaken, and it seems the urgency of the situation finally made it solidify. You two have been soulmates since the beginning of time, and I had been assigned as your guardian angel since then. I'm sorry I failed you two so many times."

I couldn't get over my shock, but looked up at PJ and smiled faintly. "You didn't fail us," I whispered and he smiled at me. "Will you still be with us as our friend?" Dan asked and he nodded. "Of course, you two have been my friends since the beginning of time, since I first helped you two get together in your first life," he said and I smiled, curling closer to my soulmate.

"What about Chris?" I asked, curious about how he came into play. "He's mortal, but he gets reborn about every single time you do, and I always managed to find him," PJ said softly, looking at his boyfriend with a happiness extremely hard to find.

"So, you're immortal?" I asked and he nodded, a crooked smile appearing across his face. "Unfortunately, but I have had the chance to experience a lot of things many people have never been able to. Like falling in love with Chris again every time I see him again," he said and the 'older' boy flushed.

I smiled faintly at them, still clinging to Dan as if he were my lifeline. Another doctor walked in, a smile on her face as she noticed how I was clinging to Dan. "Good evening, Mr. Lester, how are you feeling?" she asked me softly and I bit my lip, a little nervous but feeing a bit better.

"I'm fine," I whispered, meaning physically. I didn't hurt anywhere anymore, but the memories wouldn't go away. She nodded and wrote something down on her clipboard. "Mr. Howell, do you think you could move away a little so I could do a quick check up? You don't have to leave, you can still hold his hand, but I do need a little room to be able to work," she asked and panic filled me.

Dan pressed a soft kiss to my forehead and said, "It'll be alright, Lion, don't worry. I'm right here, alright?" I nodded, letting him move from my side and take my hand in his, feeling a little better now that his hand was wrapped around mine.

The doctor moved carefully forward, working around Dan as she lifted my shirt and making me panic. "No! Don't, please, don't touch me!" I cried, the room fading away as the image of Jackson moving his fingers down my torso appeared instead of the doctor.

"Lion! Phil, love, don't worry, it's alright, look at me, alright? Look at me," Dan begged and the image faded away, my heart beating erratically as I quickly looked at him, tears in my eyes. He gave me a reassuring smile and said, "Would you rather me lift your shirt? She needs to see if your wounds are alright."

I hesitated, nodding slowly. I trusted Dan with my life, I could do this. He moved forward and very carefully lifted my shirt, a small hint of panic appearing in my chest but I focused on his face. Finally, my shirt was pushed up and the doctor gave a surprised hum. "You're completely healed, how did that happen?" she asked, mainly to herself and Dan smirked.

"Can I check your shoulder?" she asked me and I bit my lip, nodding slowly. Dan helped me sit up and remove my shirt, still seeing the scars and the words carved into me by Jackson. _Fag, freak, waste, slut_ all were spread across my stomach and chest and a couple tears fell down my cheeks.

Dan wiped them away gently as the doctor removed the bandages around my shoulder and hummed to herself again. "These words are lies, you know that right? They're lies, you're my amazing Phil, my beautiful boyfriend, and you're perfect for me, you know that right?" Dan whispered softly and I swallowed, not quite able to believe the words.

"Mr. Lester, are you moving your legs?" the doctor asked shocked as I instinctively curled up, my legs pulling closer to my chest. "Um, yes ma'am," I said softly and she smiled happily. "It seems you're physically in perfect shape. However, the mental and emotional abuse you were put through is a different story. I would like to refer you to a very good therapist, she'll be able to help you through any problems you may have," she said and my eyes widened in horror.

"I-I can't talk to a stranger!" I cried out, sitting up and pulling myself into a ball. "She'll judge me," I whispered and Dan sat next to me, immediately pulling me into his arms. "No she won't, Lion. She's there to help. We won't make you go, it's your choice, but I would like to see you able to get help, please consider it?" he asked softly and I wavered, still terrified.

"I'll think about it," I finally whispered and he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. The doctor nodded and said, "Also, while your legs are working once more, they're still very weak after a month of no use, so physical therapy will be needed. Once a week here at the gym and some simple exercises for you to do at home will work."

I frowned but nodded, knowing it would be necessary to get back to my past strength. "I'll give you a list of home exercises for you to do, and the date and time of your first appointement here, but after that I believe you're well enough to go home," she said cheerfully and I brightened up, wanting my own bed.

"I'll be right back with those papers, why don't one of your friends bring your clothes? They've had a bag here since you were brought in," she said, starting out of the room and I nodded giving her a faint smile.

"How long have I been here?" I asked quietly and Dan frowned, pain in his eyes. "You've been in a coma for almost a week and a half, and we almost, almost lost you twice from blood loss in the beginning," he said softly and guilt filled me for hurting him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered and he shook his head quickly. "No, love, it's not your fault. It's _his_ fault you're here, and trust me, he got what was coming for him," he said darkly and I frowned, curious. "What's that?" I asked and Dan gave a half smirk, glancing at Chris.

"I summoned a demon, and it almost tore him apart. He's still alive, but he's completely paralysed from the neck down and the demon put memories in his head of several instances he'd been in," he said and I couldn't help but feel smug at the thought, then guilt and self hatred as I realised I felt happy at another's suffering.

"He's in the emergency room, but the doctors know what he did so they're not really trying that hard. He's been bandaged up and put on breathing machines, but besides that they're not really doing much," Dan said pleased and I smiled faintly.

"Chris, PJ, can you give us a second?" I asked softly and they nodded, smiling softly. "Of course, we'll just be in the hallway, maybe we'll talk to the doctor before she comes in here," PJ said, standing and letting Chris twine his fingers between his.

They left and I curled up against Dan's chest, whispering, "I love you." He smiled softly and said, "I love you too, Lion." I lifted myself up and pressed my mouth against his, feeling my heart leap in my chest as he kissed back carefully, but when his hand settled on my hip I flinched back and he immediately retracted it.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, guilt in his eyes and I shook my head, frowning. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to flinch," I said and he ran his fingers across my jaw. "You have nothing to worry about love, it's natural for you to flinch after what you've been through. It's my fault, I got caught up in your addicting kiss," he said, a faint smirk on his lips.

I flushed and laughed lightly, making his smile grow as he kissed my forehead. "So Mr. Lester, I do have a question for you," he said mock seriously and I raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why was my cereal on the couch?" he asked and I burst out laughing, unable to help it.

He grinned as I giggled, eyes lighting up in that way I loved. "I was hungry, and you had moved all the good cereal I wanted at the time on top of the fridge. So I climbed the counter and took some," I said through my giggles, making him shake his head.

"You know, if you had wanted some Wheaties you could have just asked me to buy you some, I have no problem getting you cereal," he said amused and I shrugged. "I don't know, it doesn't feel the same. I like eating your cereal," I said and he rolled his eyes. "It's my cereal for a reason love," he said amused and I gave him an innocent smile.

He shook his head and said, "How you got onto that counter and off it is beyond me, though. How did you do it?" I shrugged and said, "It wasn't the first time I'd done it. I just got the chairs from the table and stacked them, using them as some kind of stair until I was on the counter. Then I just pushed myself off the counter and into my chair. That last part, I'd never done before, but it worked just fine."

He shook his head incredeously and said, "You could have hurt yourself you weirdo. No more acrobatics, alright?" I laughed and said, "Now that my legs are fine I probably won't have to anymore."

He sighed amused and kissed the corner of my mouth, climbing out of the bed. "I'm going to grab your clothes, they're in the car outside. Think you'll be alright for about 15 to 20 minutes?" he asked as he slipped on his shoes and I nodded, a few nerves filling my stomach.

He leaned down and kissed me properly this time, giving me a smile before he left. I waited a couple seconds before carefully climbing out of bed, seeing a wheelchair in the corner of the room. I attempted to stand but my legs only held me for a second before I fell, wincing as my hand took most of the impact.

I pulled myself into a crawling position and forced my legs to get me over to the chair, getting into it and looking outside the door real quick. Chris and PJ weren't there, so I opened the door and found the exit, rolling as quickly as I could. I didn't have too long.

After a few minutes search, I found my way to the emergency room area, managing to keep myself from attracting too much attention. The wheelchair apparently was a normal sight, so that didn't bring any attention to me either, thankfully.

Finally, I found a doctor and asked him about the person I was looking for, getting directions to the room. I rolled myself down there nervously, wondering why I thought this was a good idea. I took a deep breath, reminding myself he couldn't hurt me now, and rolled into the room

"Lester," Jackson said from the bed where he was covered in bandages and propped up on several pillows. His eyes remained the same though, pissed off and slightly insane. "Jackson," I said, my voice surprisingly calm for how scared I was at the moment.

"What do you want? Come to gloat?" he sneered and I raised an eyebrow. "No. I just wanted to make sure you were still alive. Even after all that you did to me, you still don't deserve to be killed. Ohanzee told me what he did to you with the demon, and even though I thought you deserved it, I didn't want you killed," I said, my voice flat.

"Oh right, sure. I'm alive, but barely. I have gashes over every bit of my body, I'm paralysed from the neck down, and I have to have this blasted thing on my face otherwise I can't breathe. So yeah, I'm alive, but I'm not exactly living," he sneered once more, eyes moving straight forward once again.

"And how do you think I felt after you paralysed me? How I felt when you struck those rods into my body? When you _raped_   me?" I snapped, my anger renewing. He laughed, eyes looking at me again. "I would do it again. You deserved it and more. Oh, man, if they hadn't come that day the things I had planned for you. It would have been so much fun," he sneered and I shook my head.

I rolled myself closer to him and he frowned, confusion in his eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked as I carefully stood myself up, only leaning on my legs but not really using them. "You're standing?" he asked shocked and I smirked at him. "Yes. I am. My other half healed me, I have no more wounds from you, they're all gone," I said, not mentioning the fact that I could still remember every single feeling.

I placed my hand on his forehead and his eyes went wide as I let my flame go from my hand and into his skin. It spread to every nerve of his body and making him whimper. "This pain, will never go away. I swear to you, the more pills you take, the more you try to get rid of it, the stronger it'll grow. This is my revenge. You hurt me, I hurt you. An eye for an eye," I whispered and I felt a heat fill my palm as a single gash appeared across the skin, leaving a shallow cut in my skin.

I instictively knew what to do and placed the blood on his lips, making him ingest it. "That will keep my promise. Until the day you feel remorse for what you did, until the day you regret what you did to me and my friends, you will feel this pain. Goodbye, Gregory Jackson. I hope you rot in Hell," I said quietly and the small cut on my hand disappeared as I carefully sat myself back down in my chair.

I didn't say anything else, just ignored his pained and angered whispers he sent after me as I left the room, heading back to mine. I thought I had just enough time to make it before Dan, Chris or PJ returned to the room.

Thankfully, I was right but I was still in the chair when the trio walked in, Dan frowning when he saw that I was in the chair. "Why are you in the chair love? Shouldn't you still be in bed?" he asked, making a move to put me back in the bed.

I thought quickly and said, "I needed to use the loo, I just got out of bed, I'm alright." It was true though, I did need to use the loo, though I just realised this now that I said so. He nodded and stood aside, letting me roll myself to the washrooms.

After I finished my business, I rolled myself out to the main room again to see my clothes laying out on the bed and perked up. I'd missed my navy blue shirt with white stars. A pair of black skinny jeans was with it and I rolled myself over, picking up the shirt with a smile.

"Chris, PJ, out," Dan playfully ordered and the duo gave mock salutes before going to stand in the hallway. I hesitated, glancing at Dan before subtly turning around and taking off the shirt I had on, one of those white hospital outfits that wasn't a gown, and slipping on the starry shirt.

I took a breath and carefully pulled myself up and tugged my jeans down, glancing at Dan who had turned away from me to give me some privacy. I was thankful for that, not wanting him to see what a mess I was. I managed to get my jeans off and carefully slipped my other ones on, loose around my calves as they had thinned quite a bit after a month or so of no use.

I gave a small 'ha' of pride as I managed to dress myself without any help, when before I usually needed Dan's help with the jeans if I were already in my chair. Dan chuckled softly and said, "All done love?" I nodded and he leaned down to kiss me softly, my hand tangling in his hair as he carefully kept his hands on my shoulders.

"PDA boys, jeez. We're in a hospital," Chris's amused voice said from the doorway and Dan broke away from me, a flush crossing his cheeks. I laughed and said, "Oh really? And all those time I walked in on you two making out isn't PDA?"

They flushed and PJ said, "Technically not, we were either in our house or yours so not publicly." I rolled my eyes and rolled around the bed to casually just run over his foot. He gave a gasp and jumped away, thumping me upside the head. "Phillip Michael Lester, that hurt!" he said and I laughed, trying to ignore the small flash of panic I'd gotten when he'd hit me upside the head.

Dan must have noticed the flash in my eyes though as he frowned at PJ, shaking his head. PJ seemed to notice it and said hurriedly, "Oh, shit, sorry Phil, I didn't think. Are you alright?" I smiled at him and said, "I'm fine. I should be alright with a couple friendly taps, you do it all the time."

He shook his head and leaned down to hug me, squeezing me gently before pulling away. "I'll be more careful in the future, don't worry," he said and I smiled at him as the doctor walked in. "Good evening boys, here are the papers. Once you sign Mr. Lester out, you're free to go," she said happily and I smiled at her.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I hope never to see you in here again," she joked and I laughed lightly, making her smile. "Have a good day, Mr. Lester, gentlemen. My office extension and cell phone are on the papers if you have any questions," she said as she left the room, myself and the other waving.

Dan leaned down to me and kissed me gently for a second before saying, "Ready to go home? I have a surprise for you." I looked up curiously and nodded, letting him roll me out of the room with Chris and PJ following us.

We reached the car and I carefully stood up while leaning on Dan's arm and climbed into the passenger seat, Chris putting the chair into the trunk and PJ climbing into the drivers seat. Chris and Dan got into the back seat and PJ started off, driving in a different direction than to our flat.

"Where are we going? This isn't the way to our flat," I asked confused and Dan laughed lightly. "This is part of the surprise, love, but don't worry, if you don't like it you can just tell me. But I'm sure you'll like it," he said, reaching forward and squeezing my shoulder lightly.

I nodded and let PJ drive us to wherever we were headed. I closed my eyes and next thing I knew I was being shaken, panic filling me as I was forced out of a dream of Jackson running his fingers down my chest covered in my blood.

"No! Don't!" I cried, backing away from the touch. "Hey, hey, it's alright Lion, it's just me," PJ said softly and I blinked quickly, flushing lightly at I saw PJ's worried eyes. "I'm sorry," I whispered and he gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, it's alright. I should have woken you up a different way. C'mon, we're here," he said and I nodded, looking around.

We were at an apartment complex similar to the one Dan and I lived in, just with red paint instead of beige and only 5 floors instead of three. "Why are we here?" I asked confused and Dan opened my door, saying, "This is the surprise. I bought us a different flat since the other one was compromised. No one except our friends and family know where it is, and it's under Chris's dad's name. He agreed because he knows what Chris is and wants to protect us too."

I looked up at the flats in awe and said, "You bought us a new home?" He nodded, smiling nervously. "We still own the other one, I wasn't going to sell it unless you said it was alright, but the esstentials are here but there's only some clothes and our kitchen things and the bathroom things and I don't know I thought it-" he started rambling but I cut him off by pulling him in for a kiss.

"I love it, thank you," I whispered after I broke our kiss and he flushed pleased. "Anything for my Lion," he replied softly and I kissed him again as Chris brought around my wheelchair. "Lions, angels and bears, oh my," he muttered and I laughed with Dan and PJ, carefully climbing out of the car.

As soon as my feet touched the ground however my legs gave out on me and I fell to my knees, gasping. Dan quickly picked me up, asking, "Are you okay?" I nodded, feeling embarassed. I just fell to the ground in front of my friends, I hadn't wanted to seem weak.

He carefully set me in my chair and I lowered my head as he pushed me inside to the lift, shame burning my cheeks. "Hey, love, don't feel embarassed okay? It's been over a month since you could use your legs, it's normal for you to have just fallen like you did," he said softly, making sure Chris or PJ didn't hear.

I sighed and said softly, "I know, but I seemed weak. I can't seem weak, it's letting Jackson get to me." He shook his head and once the doors opened, he rolled me out and gestured for Chris and PJ to go on ahead before kneeling in front of me.

"Phil, even after everything you've gone through, you're still here, you're still pushing through, and you're still one of the strongest people I know. If that had been me, I would have given up so fast it would have made your head spin. You are not weak, okay?" he said softly and a few tears stung my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

"Okay," I said finally and he kissed me gently. "Now, are you ready for part two of your surprise?" he asked and I tilted my head to the side confused. "There's more? You didn't have to do all of this, the flat is more than enough, I promise," I said and he beamed. "You deserve to be spoiled after everything you did for us, so today is your day, alright?" he said and I sighed, nodding.

He rolled me to apartment 315, a lion sticker and bear sticker on the doorhandle and making me giggle. He smiled happily and opened the door, rolling me inside. "Phil!" Tyler said excitedly but kept his distance, looking as if he wanted nothing more to just attack me with hugs.

Felix, Marzia, Tyler, Troye, Louise, Chris, PJ, Joey, Daniel, Johnnie, Kyle and Damon were all standing in what appeared to be the living room, smiles on their faces. I lit up, not having seen everyone in too long. "Hi guys!" I said cheerfully, Dan letting me roll into the small group of people.

I could see Tyler fidgeting so I held out my arms and he immediately hugged me tightly, pressing a noisy kiss to my cheek. I laughed as he pulled away, letting the others hug me carefully. Once everyone had their hugs, I carefully rolled back, feeling a little crowded.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked and Felix said, "Well, we haven't seen our friend in too long, and we decided to have a house warming party. Nothing too major, but hey, I think it'll be fun. Who knows what kind of antics we'll be getting into, huh bros."

Marzia rolled her eyes and said, "We brought a friend too." A black pug jumped off the chair and stretched, my eyes widening happily. "Edgar!" I called and the pup trotted over to me, sniffing at my feet before licking my jeans. I rolled my eyes and carefully picked him up, letting him lick my face a couple times before curling up in my lap and falling asleep.

I beamed as I petted him softly, everyone milling about and talking quietly. It wasn't an overbearing party, it was simple, some good music playing in the background, and Johnnie and Kyle were playing simple pranks on everyone, making things lighter one second then heavier the next.

I chuckled and Dan walked over, sitting next to me where I was seated on the couch. "How are you enjoying the get together?" he asked and I leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I love it, I've missed everyone. The only ones we get to see often is Louise, Tyler, Chris and PJ, and that in itself is rare," I said and he smiled, linking our fingers together and kissing my knuckles.

Tyler and Troye bounded closer, Troye sitting on Tyler's lap after Tyler had sat down next to me. "So, Troye and I have news," Tyler said happily. I raised an eyebrow and said, "What's this news?" Tyler beamed and said, "Well, it's two parts. First, Troye and I are officially moving to London, we didn't like being so far away in America. And second, well, Troye?"

The younger boy held up his hand and there glittered a beautiful, simple diamond ring on his left ring finger, making happiness bloom in my chest. "Oh my gods, congrats! When did this happen?" I asked, taking Troye's hand in mine and examining the ring closely.

"A couple weeks ago, it would have technically been our five year anniversary if I hadn't been so stupid and left, thinking I was protecting him. But, we're happy, the time apart and how we found each other again made our love stronger, so I proposed to him January 15th, the same place we'd gone for our first date all those years ago," he said sweetly, looking at Troye as if he held all the stars in the sky.

I 'awe'd' at them, happy they'd found their love once again. "Wait, what's today?" I asked, suddenly thinking of that little detail. "It's January 29th, love, tomorrow is your birthday," Dan said and I blinked surprised. "Damn, I'm turning 30 tomorrow, it's going to be my golden birthday too," I said and Tyler laughed lightly.

"Enjoy it, mine was when I was 22," he said amused and Troye rolled his eyes. "Please, mine was when I was 5, I don't even remember it," he said and I laughed. "Mine was when I was 11, so that awkward age of just hitting puberty. What a wonderful time for a golden birthday," Dan said sarcastically and I laughed, leaning over to kiss him again.

"Well, it's currently a quarter till midnight, why don't you get your birthday kiss at midnight? It'd be romantic," Tyler gushed and I rolled my eyes, not disliking the idea. "I wouldn't mind kissing until midnight," I said playfully and Dan rolled his eyes. "I don't think everyone would like seeing us kiss for 15 minutes," he said and I mock sighed.

"Damn, that sucks," I said and Tyler laughed. "I'd say I would like it, but my fiance is right here so I don't think I'd say that," he said and Troye shrugged. "I won't lie, I think it would be hot," he said offhandedly and Tyler and Dan choked, making Troye and me laugh.

"Also, I think the girls would like it too, maybe Chris, PJ, Kyle, Johnnie, all the other gay guys here. I think the only straight ones are Damon and Felix. And the girls, but hey, they love gay men," Troye said thoughtfully and I laughed lightly. "We're not actually going to kiss for 15 minutes in front of you guys. We can wait until you leave," I said playfully and Tyler just winked at me as Troye went red.

Dan flushed and I grinned at him, feeling much more comfortable now that I was sitting on my couch, my most trusted friends around me, in my own home. I was sure it would take me a while to heal completely, but when midnight came around and I managed to stand up on my own legs to kiss Dan deeply, I knew everything would be alright.


	8. Chapter 7: Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malachi escapes from jail and Phil finally gets his revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> torture, I marked the main places, some parts get weird cos I wasn't in the... right state of mind when I wrote it, yeah.

**_one month later_ **

I curled up with Dan on our bed, his head on my chest and soft snores coming from his mouth. I'd just woken up to a bad feeling accompanied to a nightmare, the feeling being something I hadn't felt in over a month. I held my boyfriend closer and tried to warm him up since the heater thermostat had broken and we never knew what it was on. Also, his natural coolness made him prone to colds, so I wanted him as warm as possible.

I had a thin layer of flames laying in my palm, nothing that would burn him, just enough so that when I ran my hand over his arm or back he would warm up to the touch. He shivered in his sleep and curled closer to me, hand clutching my shirt tightly. I pressed a kiss to his cool skin and left a small mark from the heat of my skin.

I shook my head and carefully pulled him closer to as much of him would be touching me, hoping my natural heat would warm him. We were under three blankets and added to my heat, we should have been fine, but his internal ice was halfway cancelling that, making him freezing.

I rolled over to my side and pulled him tighter into my arms, a small whimper falling from his lips as he seemed to be locked in some kind of nightmare. "Bear, wake up sweetie, it's alright," I whispered softly and his shivers intensified as the terror seemed to grow.

"Dan, sweetheart, hey, it's me, Phil, okay? Wake up Bear," I said a little more urgently, not wanting to be on the receiving side of what happened if he got too scared. He gasped and shot up, immediately shivering as the cool air hit his skin.

"Love?" I asked softly, sitting up but keeping my distance. "Ph-Phil?" he whispered and I carefully reached out and placed my palm on his cheek. "I'm right here, Bear, c'mon," I said softly and he let himself be pulled into my arms again, seeking warmth as he hid his face in my chest.

"Same thing?" I asked quietly and he nodded, a shudder racketing his frame. He'd been dreaming of me in the hospital that day after they'd managed to save me from Jackson, but instead of making it, I'd died. I had to reassure him every morning I was safe, I was right here, and I wasn't going anywhere, and it just made my anger at Jackson - and in turn Malachi - grow.

They were ruining my love's life, he's been barely sleeping, he'd been having nightmares, and now his magic was sometimes uncontrollable. He had been distancing himself from me a couple weeks ago, terrified of hurting me, but I put a stop to that immediately. I needed him just as much as he needed me, and pulling away from me was hurting both of us.

I kissed his forehead and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere, alright love? They'd be hard pressed to even get me too far away for too long. You're stuck with me." He smiled against my chest, his hand loosening ever so slightly as he sighed, still sleepy. It was only four in the morning, and we had gone to bed about 1 am after getting lost in a couple episodes of Dr. Who.

"Go to sleep love, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere," I said softly, subtly turning my fire up under my skin so he would have his own personal heater under the blankets. He sighed, finally relaxing as I ran my fingers through his hair, kissing his forehead. "I love you, Phil," he whispered sleepily and I smiled, replying softly, "I love you too, Dan."

A couple seconds later he managed to fall asleep again and I closed my eyes, hoping to force myself to follow him but I couldn't. After the first week back, after constant nightmares and anxiety attacks, I'd been forcing myself to stay awake until it became a habit. I couldn't sleep without either passing out from pure exhaustion or practically overdosing on sleeping pills. My heat wouldn't let them work with the correct dose.

I'd slept two days ago, which meant it would be another day or two before I could get myself tired out enough to sleep for longer than an hour. Just now, I'd only gotten about 45 minutes of sleep before my nightmares started, then Dan's started and it woke me even more. This insomnia was going to be the death of me.

A couple hours passed by peacefully, myself passing the time by just watching Dan's expressions in his sleep. My Bear was just the most adorable thing ever, I couldn't help several times throughout the night to lean down and press gentle kisses to his nose, forehead, and cheeks.

As soon as the sun started rising though, I frowned and glanced at the clock. 6:25 in the morning, which meant Dan wouldn't be waking for a couple more hours. Myself, however, was feeling a little restless. The muscles in my legs were mostly healed, though I still walked a little slower than I used to and with a slight limp in my right leg.

I carefully pulled myself away from Dan's grip, wrapping him up with as many blankets I dared to and filled them with the heat from my flames. I wasn't sure how well it would work, but it would keep him from freezing until I could fix the thermostat.

I went and took a shower, knowing I looked paler than usual and had dark circles under my eyes. I always made sure to cover it up with some foundation I'd bought, the lightest shade I could find. I leaned closer to the mirror and gently dabbed some of it under my eyes, blending it in with my finger. I'd spent a few of my sleepless nights watching makeup tutorials with the foundation until it finally made enough sense for me to do what I needed.

I went into the kitchen and made myself a pot of coffee, setting the tea kettle onto the stove but not starting it just yet. I would start it about nine, Dan would wake up around ten. I poured myself a cup of coffee, mixed some creamer and suger into it, and took a sip, feeling that familiar feeling of the warmth trail down my chest and stomach.

I giggled at the feeling, walking carefully into the living room and curling up on the couch, the TV on some morning news and volume turned down. 30 minutes and two cups of coffee later, a familiar face appeared on the screen, making me almost drop my cup and shoot forward to turn up the volume.

"Scientist Dr. Malachi, known for his inhumane experiments on those with special abilities, has somehow managed to escape from prison. Guards checked early this morning during the routine check-up and discovered his cell empty. No news as to where he is at the current moment is available," the news anchor said, her face grim.

I started shaking, trying to calm myself down as I turned off the TV. I didn't even think of resisting the urge to check on Dan, walking as fast as I dared with my messed up legs to our shared room.

I sighed in quiet relief as I noticed he was still curled up in the bed, burrito-ed under the many blankets I'd piled on him. I walked quietly forward and carefully slid under the blankets, pulling him close to my side. I wanted to hold him, wanted to make sure nothing could ever hurt him again.

I pressed a kiss to his forehead as I checked the time, seeing it was about a quarter after 8. My cell phone, which I'd left in the living room, went off and I hesitated, not wanting to leave Dan after the news. Finally I pulled myself away from him, a small whimper leaving his lips as I left but I kissed his nose and he relaxed.

I covered him back up, adding one more blanket as it was getting colder outside and went to check my phone, that had stopped ringing a minute before. I picked it up and noticed that PJ had called so I quickly called him back, him picking up after only one ring.

"You saw the news, right?" he immediately asked, his voice hushed, and I sighed, sitting down on the couch. "Yes, I saw the news. What are we supposed to do, PJ? I can't let him near Dan, he's still having nightmares after almost three months," I said quietly, not wanting to wake Dan just yet.

"He can't find you guys, you're living someplace new and we destroyed that laser he was using to find the pulses. We'll find him, and he won't hurt you again, I promise," he said and I shook my head, knowing that he couldn't see me. "When you find him, tell me. I want to be there, there's something I need to do," I said and he was silent for a second.

"What is that?" he asked finally and I hesitated, biting my lower lip. "I'm going to kill him," I said finally, this being the first time I ever said it out loud. He gasped, a loud thump showing that he most likely dropped his phone.

"Philip Michael Lester, why would you need to do that?" he demanded, his voice rising slightly before he cursed under his breath, the sounds of movement finding its way through the speaker.

"I need to PJ, you don't understand, you weren't there. You weren't the one who had to hold onto Dan after his sessions, shaking and unable to breathe half the time because of the electricity. You weren't the one who found Tyler broken and bleeding on the floor, all because he can walk through shadows. You weren't the one who discovered too young of people scared and hurting because of that man. You're not the one who can't sleep because of nightmares, who can barely walk because of what he and his assistant did.

"I was and I am. This man still gives Dan nightmares, still lingers because of our memories and physical damage. I need to get rid of him. I need the peace of mind that he will never hurt anyone again. I need to do this, no matter what happens after. If Dan hates me, it'll tear me apart but at least I know that he's safe, that this man will never touch him again," I said, tears forming in my eyes.

He stayed quiet for a long time, so long I thought he hung up but finally he said, "Fine. I understand where you're coming from, Phil, but this will hurt you. This isn't completely revenge , this will be murder. Are you sure you can handle that?"

I closed my eyes and, not for the first time, second guessed my decision but then I remembered how Dan flinched whenever someone came to close to him for full month, remembered the haunted look in Joey's and Troye's eyes when they thought no one was watching, remembered the feeling of those pins in my skull and limbs, remembered the biting feel of hunger and thirst after so long of having nothing.

"Yes, I'm sure. I know I'll change after it, but I just need to know that man won't be anywhere near Dan or our friends again. Imagine how you would feel if Chris were in Dan's position. How would you feel if you had to watch the love of your life tremble in pain and terror for weeks, even after we were rescued. How would you react?" I asked quietly and he didn't reply once again.

"I'd do the same thing you're doing right now," he whispered and I nodded, staring at the blank screen of the TV. I checked the clock and said, "It's nine, I need to get Dan's tea started or he'll throw a fit. Call me or send me a mental message when you find him, promise me."

He sighed and said, "I promise on Chris's life I will tell you when we find him. Go get the tea ready, and don't tell Dan that Malachi is out." I rolled my eyes and said, "I wasn't planning to. He doesn't need any more stress, but if he finds out about it over the news or twitter or anything, I won't lie to him."

He agreed with that statement and said, "Chris is waking up, I'll talk to you later." I said my goodbyes and hung up, setting my phone down and sighing. I stood up, going to get myself another cup of coffee and start Dan's tea. This was going to be a long few weeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Three weeks. That's how long it took for PJ and Tyler, who wanted to help, to find Malachi. It was about one in the morning, and I'd slept a couple hours the night before so I knew I wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon. I hadn't had a full nights rest since two days after the rescue, and it was wearing on me.

Dan noticed this and tried many ways to help me sleep, but nothing worked. I would sleep for about an half hour, which made Dan fall asleep, but then I would wake up, restless. He never knew, and I would keep it like that. Dan didn't need to worry about me, he had enough going on.

PJ had contacted me about 1 am, about an hour after Dan had gone to sleep, saying they'd found Malachi and they were holding him in an old warehouse just in the outskirts of town. He said an hour drive, so I carefully slid out of Dan's hold and sat down at the desk, planning on writing a small letter.

_Bear,_

_I'm sorry, I need to do this. You know Malachi escaped, but you don't know that a couple of our friends had been searching for him, for me. I need to do this, Dan, I do. I can't stand seeing the pain you're in because of him, because of Jackson._

_I love you, remember that. I don't know if you're going to hate me after what I'm about to do, but remember I love you. I'm doing this because it'll help me move on, help me feel more at peace. Help me rest knowing that you're safe._

_I'm going to kill Malachi. If he's still on this planet, he's a threat to you. I thought prison would be alright, so I'd put these plans aside, never wanting to act on them, but he escaped. He's out there, looking for us, and I need to know he can never touch you._

_I love you, Daniel James Howell, I always will. I'll be back, hopefully before you wake up, but if not, please understand. Don't hate me for this._

_your Lion,_

_Phil_

I folded up the letter and set it next to the bedside table, hoping he would see it when he woke up. I watched him dream for a few minutes, letting myself memorise every feature on his face. The curve of his lips, the slight crinkles by his eyes, the colour of his cheeks, the curls in his hair. I knelt down and whispered quietly, "I love you, Bear," and pressed a kiss to his lips.

I turned around and quietly grabbed a pair of my black jeans and a dark blue jumper, quickly changing before turning around once more. I looked at Dan once before leaving, knowing that if I stayed too long I would end up not leaving. I got into the vehicle Chris's dad had bought Dan and I - after a lot of protest - and started off in the direction I needed.

I didn't bother turning on the radio, just wanting to sit in silence with my own thoughts. Memories of Dan filled my head and I wondered if that would be all I would have after tonight. Only memories of his arms around me, only memories of his lips against mine, memories of his laugh, memories of the light in his eyes as he watched me when I thought I wasn't looking.

These thoughts almost made me turn around but once again, other memories appeared. Dan shivering in an almost seizure like manner after a session, Dan waking up several times a week because of nightmares, the twitches in Dan's hands and sometimes full body that still remained. These ones made me keep going, and soon, I was pulling up in front of a dark warehouse that seemed to belong in a horror movie.

I took a deep breath and clutched the small pendant I still wore under my shirt. I felt Dan's familiar magic wash over me and it gave me enough courage to get out of the car and walk to the warehouse. I knocked once and a second later, Felix opened the door. I hadn't expected him, but I guess he had every right to be here too.

I followed him inside and saw PJ, Tyler, Damon, and Daniel standing in a circle around Dr. Malachi, who was chained to a chair. I walked to PJ and asked quietly, "How long have you had him?" He glanced at me and said, "About thirty minutes before I contacted you. Felix, Damon, Tyler and Daniel had contacted me after you did a few weeks back and wanted to be here too."

I nodded and stared at the doctor, who was smirking at me even though he had a wicked bruise across his right cheekbone. "Hakan, or should I say, Phil. It's nice to see you again, we had some fun together, didn't we," he said softly, blue eyes locked on me.

I sneered at him and said, "If that's your opinion of fun, I would hate to see you at a children's party." PJ let out a startled, quiet laugh and I smirked at him. Damon and Tyler laughed lightly at my words, making the atmosphere less morbid. Even though it still didn't brighten up as we all knew what we were here for.

Malachi laughed weakly, shaking his head. "You don't understand why I did what I was doing. You needed to be fixed, to be normal, and I just wanted to give you that," he said and I rolled my eyes. "We didn't need to be fixed. We are normal, we just have a little something extra," Tyler said, his voice colder than I've ever heard before.

Malachi barely glanced at him, focusing on me once more. "How's Dan? Do you know how much I enjoyed watching him shake after a single touch of the lightening rod? It was so interesting to see how the extra water in his system reacted with the electricity. You, your fire almost cancelled it out, that was quite boring. But his water and those sparks, that was a wonderous sight," he said almost wistfully and I let out a small snarl.

"You see, as a doctor you should be smarter, correct? But all you're doing is digging a deeper hole for yourself. The more you talk, the more painful I wish to see your death, so that you understand everything you put our family through," I said, shaking my head almost pitifully.

"Jackson got what he deserved. The only one he mostly hurt was me, and I can handle that. But you, you were the one who hurt my friends, who hurt my _family_ , and I'm here to tell you, hurting a Lester's family is one of the last things you'd ever want to do. I protect my family. You can hurt me all you want, but the second you lay a finger on my family, you're done for," I sneered, somehow finding myself leaning over the chained up doctor, my face close to his.

"Tonight is going to drag for you, I want you to feel every bit of pain my family went through, every bit of fear they feel or felt. I want you to beg for your life, for the pain to end, just like my family did. And I want to see every bit of it happen. I'm not going to touch you, not until the end, my family members here, they're need their peace of mind from how you hurt their loved ones. So enjoy their pain, mine's going to be worse," I whispered, making sure only he could hear me.

I saw a small flicker of fear appear behind his eyes as I backed away, saying, "Go ahead, I can wait until the end." I felt smug as Malachi glanced around nervously as Daniel and Tyler approached first, myself standing back with Damon, Felix and PJ.

"What did you tell him to make him so scared?" PJ asked me quietly and I whispered, "I told him to enjoy your five's pain, as mine would be worse. But mine would be at the end, because his blood won't stain your hands. I'll take that burden myself."

**THE WORSE OF THE TORTURE WILL HAPPEN HERE THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF FREAKING BLOOD I'M SORRY IF YOU CAN'T READ THAT!!! JUST KNOW THAT TYLER AND DANIEL START IT OFF, THEN DAMON AND FELIX, THEN FINALLY PJ AND PHIL. I'LL TELL YOU WHEN THE SCENE IS OVER LOVE YOU!!**

PJ shook his head sadly, reaching out and taking my hand in his. I watched as Tyler seemed to shimmer, a long, thin shadow dagger appearing in his hand. "Troye has scars from your rods. He flinches if anyone except me or our friends get to close to him, he can't even hug his own mother anymore. What you did to him is tearing him apart, and while he's getting better, he's no where being near well. All because of you," Tyler whispered, his eyes taking on a strange grey glow with hints of purple in them.

He ran his dagger across Malachi's chest and arms, in the same places I'd seen Troye's scars. They didn't leave marks, but the intense phantom pain that was untreatable made him scream, his arms going ridged. The dagger disappeared and Tyler faded even more, becoming almost completely transparent. He placed his hand through Malachi's wrist, appearing to grab something as he solidified.

He yanked his hand back, the cracking of bones filling the room as blood sprayed everywhere. Tyler had three bones in his hand, part of the wrist joint and there was a gaping hole in place where they had been. Malachi didn't even get to scream, the intense pain making him pass out immediately.

PJ walked forward, placing a hand on his forehead and making him wake up. He stopped the bleeding in his wrist so he wouldn't bleed out but left the pain. "Now he can't pass out from pain overload, he has to deal with it," he said quietly, walking away and back to me and Damon.

Daniel, as a normal human without abilities, brought out a wicked looking knife, curved and serated. "My little cloud is terrified of everything. He used to be one of the most fearless men I knew, and now the slightest of sounds terrifies him. I've seen the scars carved into his body from you and Jackson, and now, I think I'm going to give you mirror ones," he said quietly, his voice soft yet intimidating.

Malachi was sweating, tears in his eyes as he stared at the knife in Daniel's hand. Slowly, softly, almost sweetly, Daniel used the tip of the knife to tear at Malachi's shirt. Soon the fabric was separated and his chest was revealed, surprisingly fit for a scientist.

Daniel didn't hesitate, just drew the knife in a straight line from one side of his stomach to the other, directly under his ribs. Then he carved a slightly curved line around his side, a matching one on the other side. A few holes here and there, where I assumed the rods had been forced into Joey.

When he finished, not a single part of his chest or shirt wasn't covered in blood. Once again, PJ walked forward and stopped the bleeding, but not taking away the pain. He ignored how Malachi was crying out, his uninjured hand curled tightly into a fist. Without a word, PJ walked away and joined us again, taking my hand in his once more.

I didn't question it as PJ seemed to need the steadying. He was the only one here who hadn't seen or felt some kind of pain except for the slight echo of what I felt during that one session. And that hadn't even been that bad of a session, quite mild to say. He had mixed feelings about this, and I knew what I needed to do to make sure he understood why we were doing this.

**THE NEXT BIT ISN'T TOO GRAPHIC AND KIND OF IMPORTANT, IT'S SAFE FOR THOSE WITH WEAK STOMACHS. I'M SORRY BUT I LIKE TORTURE OOPS <3**

I linked our fingers together and pulled him away as Tyler and Daniel spent a little more time with Malachi, Felix and Damon watching with flat eyes. "PJ, are you okay?" I asked softly and he looked at me with uncertain eyes.

"I understand why you want to do this, but seeing all the blood is jut bringing back so many bad memories. Remember, I had to see you three die over and over again, and sometimes it wasn't pretty. You guys were burned at the stake in the early 1700's, because of your abilities. I was too, but I escaped being immortal, I couldn't save you guys then," he whispered and I pulled him into a tight hug.

"Hey, if this gets to be too much, you can go, okay? You don't have to stay," I said softly and he shook his head, taking a deep breath. "I can stay, I'll be alright. I need to make sure he doesn't die prematurely and that you're safe, mentally. Killing a person can hurt them in more than one way," he said and I nodded, kissing his forehead. He may technically be older than me, but he still was only 26.

I brought him back over to see that Damon and Felix had replaced Tyler and Daniel, both of them talking quietly to each other. I walked over to them and asked quietly, "Are you two alright?" Tyler gave me a half forced smile and said, "I don't know. I mean, it feels good to have my revenge for my Light, but at the same time, I don't like the feeling of hurting someone."

I wrapped my arm around him and said, "That makes you a good person, Ty. If you need to, you can go and not have to watch anything else." He shook his head as Daniel watched Felix use sharp obsidian to embed themselves into Malachi's chest and arms, a single, thin stone sticking from the doctor's forehead.

"I can stay, I can do this. I need to see justice done to Malachi for Troye. My love has been having nightmares every night since the news announced he'd escaped. Apparently he'd found other Balaven's and were experimenting on them when PJ found and captured him. PJ saved those kids, they were terrified. Their names are Alfie, Zoe, Joe and Casper, but they're safe now. PJ placed them in a safe house," Tyler whispered and renewed anger filled me.

Malachi kept up with the experiments? He continued to hurt young people? My hesitations on killing him were lessening and lessening, and soon, I would have no qualms about killing him. And that kind of scared me, I should feel nervous about taking a life, shouldn't I? I mean, I did, but at the same time, I wanted him dead. And I wanted to do it.

**TORTURE IS BACK BUT ITS JUST DAMON'S, FELIX'S, PHIL'S AND PJ'S TORTURE (PHILS IS RATHER WEIRD COS.. I WASN'T IN THE RIGHT STATE OF MIND)**

I shook my head and watched as Damon made his hand into falcon claws, tearing long gashes down both of his forearms. "Why is Damon here?" I asked suddenly and PJ said quietly, "He's grown close to the rest of us, and Malachi had threatened Kyle and Johnnie. He's very protective of his younger friends."

I nodded, understanding where Damon was coming from. It was hard not to become protective of the younger people, they were like younger siblings.

From what I could see on Malachi, hardly a single patch of skin on him was not injured in some way. He had gashes, holes, broken bones, and words carved into his skin. He wasn't bleeding anymore though, thanks to PJ but he was in a lot of pain.

A near constant moan of pain was making it's way out of Malachi's throat as Felix and Damon stepped back, Peklo spitting at his shoes. "That's for my girl," he sneered and walked over to where Tyler and Daniel were standing with Damon.

I took PJ's hand into my own and led him over to Malachi, a smirk on my face. "Have you enjoyed yourself?" I asked sweetly and his eyes locked onto mine, terror clear in them. "Aaban? The honours?" I asked, bowing slightly as PJ stepped forward.

"Dan and Phil have been my best friends since the dawn of time. I've watched them fall in love over and over, watched them cry, laugh, hurt. But I haven't seen a more disgusting man than you in all that time, my thousands of millions of years of life protecting these two. You've earned the wrath of a guardian angel, and trust me,that's a sight to fear," PJ whispered so only Malachi and I could hear it and I could visibly see him shudder.

PJ leaned down and kissed Malachi's forehead and when he pulled away a bright golden heart was branded on his forehead. It glowed for about three seconds before sinking into his skin. At that moment, Malachi's eyes rolled back into his skull, foam coming from his mouth.

"Phil, if you want to brand him, you can claim him for the rest of eternity and make him be unable to live a normal afterlife until his soul completely fades away," PJ said softly, watching the man writhe and have a mini seizure. I reached over and pressed my forefinger to the hollow of his throat, a single point of heat searing his skin. When I pulled away, a bright blue light in the form of a fingerprint glowed for a few seconds before fading.

"Phil, do the honours," PJ said and I looked up, wondering if I could actually kill a man. But then I looked over and locked eyes with Malachi's. The eyes I saw in my nightmares, the eyes I'd seen Dan draw before throwing them away in frustration. The eyes that I kept seeing everywhere, even if that person didn't have blue eyes.

My determination solidified and I filled my hand full of deep blue flame, the hottest flame in the known universe. I made it trickle up his nose and then spread through his veins. Once I felt it was in every vein, I made the flames grow in size, burning him inside out. Watching the flames trickle under the gashes, through his skin and glow as they grew closer to the epidermis was beautiful.

When the flames grew close enough, I stood back and created a flame wall around me and my friends, just as Dr. Malachi exploded. The flame wall caught anything that might have survived the internal combustion and left us relatively clean. I closed my eyes and shuddered as I felt a small tug on my heart before disappearing.

**TORTURE IS DONE OFFICIALLY THANK YOU ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY!!**

I dropped the wall of fire and stared at the red mess that was left of Malachi. I couldn't stop staring at it, knowing that I was the one who had killed him, I was the one who made him stop breathing, I was the one who made his heart stop beating. I had his blood on my hands, and that made a mark on my soul.

PJ walked behind me and wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly. "You're okay, Phil, alright? You're okay," he whispered into my ear and I nodded, still feeling shell-shocked. My phone rang and when I jumped, quickly pulling it out of my pocket, I found it was already 6 in the morning.

Dan was calling me, making me wonder what he was doing up so early. I trembled as I hit answer, holding the phone to my ear as I said softly, "Hello?" Dan sighed and said, "Phil? I'm assuming it's done then, right?" I closed my eyes and walked away from the small group of people, wanting to talk to Dan in private.

"Yes. It is," I said shortly and he stayed quiet for a while. I had a feeling he hated me for this and I whispered, "If you never want to see me again, I understand. Just, stay safe, please." He gasped and said, "Lion, I don't hate you, okay? I just, I understand why you did what you did, but I don't agree with it. I know where you were coming from, I wanted his blood too every time you came back to that cell after a session, but to actually get it? I don't how to feel about that."

I closed my eyes and sat down against a wall, my knees pulled up to my chest. I was feeling exhausted, my legs ached, my heart was racing, but I focused on Dan. "You don't have to think anything about it. It's done, and no matter how disgusting I feel because I did it, I needed to do it. He can't touch you again, it's the only thought that's letting me breathe right now. You're safe," I whispered, my heart still racing and seeming to only pick up.

Actually, now that I had mentioned it, I was having difficulty breathing. I was getting lightheaded and Dan said concerned, "Phil? Love, can you hear me? Put me on speaker, now." My arm dropped and I somehow managed to hit the speakerphone button, Dan shouting, "PJ! Get over here, I know you're there!"

PJ walked over and suddenly gasped, rushing faster in those last few steps. "Phil!" he whispered shocked, kneeling next to me and placing a hand on my forehead. "You're burning up more than usual, Phil, what happened?" PJ asked worriedly and I shrugged faintly.

"When's the last time you slept, Phil. And not for an hour or two, a full night's sleep," he asked sternly and I blinked tiredly at him for a second before saying, "Two nights after I got out of the hospital." Dan gasped, saying, "Phil! That was almost two months ago, I thought you were sleeping? You told me you were." He sounded hurt and guilty and I frowned, feeling upset that he was taking the blame.

"No, Bear, don't feel bad, please. You had enough on your plate to be worrying about me. It's just a little sleep, I'll be fine," I whispered and PJ shook his head. He reached forward and picked me up, myself too weak to protest as he set my phone on my stomach with Dan still on the line.

"Guys? We're headed out, Phil apparently hasn't been sleeping correctly for almost two months and the strain to do what he did is too much on him," PJ said softly, sounding far away. My head lulled back, leaning on PJ's shoulder tiredly.

"Lion? Can you hear me love?" Dan asked me softly and I hummed, knowing that my only problem was exhaustion. "Don't take me to the hospital, I'm just tired," I whispered as PJ carefully laid me in the back of his car, Felix and Damon in mine as he and Daniel got into the front, Tyler letting me rest my head in his lap.

PJ didn't answer for a second and my eyes fluttered open for half a second before closing again unwillingly. "I won't take you to the hospital, but Dan might have to return with us after you sleep for a while so we can clean the mess up. There's not much, your fire managed to get rid of most of it, but we do need to do some clean up which water will help with," he said and I frowned, not wanting Dan anywhere near where I'd killed a man.

I couldn't say anything though, as my body was slowly shutting down and giving into the warm arms of Morpheus. "'ll b' 'ome so'," I mumbled, barely articulate but Dan somehow knew what I was saying so he said softly, "Okay Lion, be safe okay? I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

I smiled and said, "L'v y'u," already almost asleep. He chuckled softly and said, "I love you too." I curled up weakly, barely twitching before finally letting the darkness of sleep take over my mind, tentative hope in my chest that everything would be getting better from this point on. But, I could only hope.


	9. Chapter 8: No Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler loses control and Phil gets scared but thERE'S SMUT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Def gonna be some smut finally, probably some of the mildest Phan smut I've ever written, but some craziness and angst before that so hold on tight and enjoy the ride ^.^

I woke up slowly, feeling a weight on my chest as I slowly came to. Some Muse was playing in the background, the smell of vanilla in the room. I assumed I was in Dan's bedroom, the one he hadn't used since we'd first moved in, it just held his bed and all his stuff. Thinking this because the sunlight was coming from the left instead of the right how it does in my room.

I moved my head and took a deep breath, realising that the weight on my chest was an actual physical object and my eyes flew open in a sudden shock of panic. I almost shoved the object off me before realising it was Dan's upper body, himself asleep and curled up against my side. I blinked sleepily for a second, a smile on my lips as I looked around, trying to figure out what time or day it was.

I found it was about 9 in the morning, but I still couldn't see what day it was. I knew that the day we'd extracted our revenge on Malachi was actually three days before Tyler's birthday, but how long had I been asleep?

I watched Dan sleep for a few minutes, wondering how he could still like me even after what I'd done to Malachi. I lifted my hand and ran my fingers through his hair, stilling after a minute or so after he started to move around in his sleep.

"Phil?" he whispered and I replied softly, if a little hoarsely, "I'm right here, Bear." He gasped and sat up, eyes going wide. "You're awake!" he cried out happily, throwing his arms tightly around me. Before I could say anything though, his lips were on mine, kissing me desperately. I blinked in surprise but kissed him back after a second, holding him tightly.

I felt a wetness on my cheeks and pulled away, seeing that Dan had started crying. "Babe, what's wrong?" I asked, knowing my question was pointless. "You're awake, you've been asleep for almost six days, your skin turned to ice during the second day and you wouldn't warm up, I thought you'd died. You didn't start to warm up until yesterday, after PJ spent two hours putting his magic into you," he cried, and my heart broke seeing his tears.

I pulled him tightly to my chest, pressing my mouth against his bruising. He kissed back just as desperately, his hands clutching my shirt tightly. I held him as tight as I could, trying to tell him that I was right here, I wasn't going anywhere, I was alright.

After a few moments though, I pulled away from him to let us breathe and just tucked him into my arms, holding him securely. "Dan, I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I'm sorry I did this to you, I promise I'll try not to again. I just keep putting you through all of this crap, and I'm so sorry Bear, I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling tears prick at my own eyes.

Dan shook his head, arms wrapped tightly around my waist. "Just stay with me, don't you ever leave me," he whispered and I kissed him softly again. "I'll be here until the day we take our final breaths 70 years in the future. Then I'll be here waiting for you in our next life. I'll always find you, I'll always love you, I'll always be here by your side, I promise," I replied softly and he smiled faintly, nuzzling into my neck.

I kissed his forehead and held him close. We laid there for a good hour until Dan's stomach growled, making me chuckle lightly. "C'mon Bear, lets go get us some food, how's pancakes sound?" I asked lightly and he flushed, nodding. He got up and helped me out of the bed, my joints overly stiff after not moving for almost 6 days. My limp was a little more pronounced, but I could handle it.

We went into the kitchen and Dan said, "Why don't you call PJ? I know he's worried about you." I nodded and kissed his cheek before heading into the living room. My cell was sitting on the coffee table and I picked it up, hitting speed dial #3 since that was PJ's number, Dan was #2.

"Dan? Is Phil alright?" He asked immediately after the second ring and I chuckled lightly. "It's me, PJ, I'm mostly alright," I said and PJ gasped, crying out, "Philip Michael Lester! I swear to all the gods and goddess known to man, if you ever pull something like that again I will... eviscerate you!"

I chuckled lightly, remembering Dan saying something like that a while ago when I'd decided to just mess with him, tickling his neck which he absolutely hated. "Love you too, PJ," I said softly, mostly joking but a hint of sincerity there. He sighed and said, "Chris and I are coming over, see you in about 15 minutes."

He hung up before I could say anything, making me blink surprised. "Um, alright then," I said to the dial tone of the phone and set it back down on the table, heading back into the kitchen. "Chris and PJ are on their way over," I announced and Dan smirked. "Good thing I just _happened_ to be making extra pancakes then, huh," he said innocently and I rolled my eyes.

"You knew they were coming over, didn't you," I said amused and he beamed at me innocently. "Well, I didn't know for sure, but I had a feeling they would want to come over once they knew you were awake. When should they be getting here?" he asked and I shrugged, looking at the clock.

"They said 15 minutes, so probably any minute now," I said and he nodded, flipping a couple more pancakes. He already had about 5 done, and there were 3 on the skillet and a lot of batter left in the pan, so we would definitely have enough by time he was finished.

I kissed his cheek and rested my chin on his shoulder with my arms around his waist, watching as he flipped them once more before putting them on the plate that held the finished pancakes. He poured some more batter circles onto the skillet and then set everything down, threading our fingers together.

"This is very domestic, Dan's the housewife isn't he?" PJ's amused voice said behind us and I pulled away from Dan, smirking at the couple standing in the doorway. "Shut it you spork," Dan muttered and I laughed lightly, wrapping my arm around his waist as he flipped a couple pancakes and kissed his cheek.

"Phil, can I talk to you?" Chris asked softly and I looked at him curiously. "Sure," I said, letting go of Dan and leaving PJ to stay with him. I led Chris to my room and sat down on the made bed, since it hadn't been slept in I assumed since I'd fallen unconscious.

"What's up?" I asked him curiously and he bit his lip, sitting next to me and wringing his hands. "PJ proposed to me three days ago. It was our six month anniversary, and I agreed, but I heard what he did with Malachi. I knew he had gone, I knew he was with you and the others, but he's refusing to tell me everything. I know Malachi is dead, but he's keeping secrets from me. Can you tell me everything that happened? Or at least what PJ did?" he asked me quietly and I felt several mixed emotions.

"Okay, first, congrats on the engagement, and second, he didn't really do much. It was mainly the rest of us, he didn't really want to be there. But, he also felt overprotective of the rest of us who'd been in that cell. It started off with Daniel and Tyler, doing their thing, then Damon and Felix. PJ and I went last, and all he did was put this mark on him where no matter what Malachi wouldn't be able to help but feel every bit of pain he'd put us in.

"I, I was the one to kill him, I put a mark on him too, so he'd feel everything he and Jackson had put me through then I filled his veins with fire. Every vein and then he, incinerated. I hate myself so much for killing another person, even one as bad as him, but I needed to do it, you know? I don't think Dan knows how I did it, only that I was the one who killed him," I said finally, going quiet near the end.

His eyes searched me for a little bit, a frown on his face. "I don't think you're a bad person, Phil. You are a really amazing, good person who had terrible things happen to you. What you did to Malachi, he deserved that and worse. I've seen how the other's been after the rescue, and I know Tyler, he was a bright, happy, very sassy person. But now, he's a dimmer version of himself. And Malachi is to blame for that.

"Thank you for telling me, and thanks for the congrats. I'm happy to be with PJ, and I know you're happy with Dan. I'm sure that if you tell him what happened, he would accept it. I mean, he's accepted that you killed Malachi, right?" he said and I bit my lip, nodding slowly.

"I'm just scared that Dan will realise how far I went. I could have done it simpler, but I wanted him to suffer. I almost didn't do it, but then I remembered my nightmares, the nightmares Dan's been having since the first rescue, how Dan's still affected by the electric shocks, and I let my magic do whatever it wanted. I should have had more control, but I let my magic get the best of me," I said quietly and he placed his hand on my knee.

"You're still a good man, Phil, don't let this get the best of you, okay?" he said softly and I nodded, giving him a weak smile. "This doesn't change who you are okay? This doesn't change PJ, doesn't change Tyler, Felix, Damon, Daniel, this doesn't change any of you. You're all still good people who let their protective streak grow. If anything, that makes you better men," he said confidently and I smiled again.

"Thanks Chris, but I think we should head back out there. I'm sure PJ and Dan are wondering where we are," I said and he nodded, a half smile on his face. He got up and followed me back out to the main room, where Dan and PJ were laughing with flour all over their faces and the floor.

"What happened here? There looks to be an explosion of white here," I said amused and Dan grinned at me. "This is what happened," PJ said, turning around and blowing a handful of flour at Chris and I. I gasped as it went everywhere, my pyjamas covered in flour as Chris complained, "PJ dammit! That's going to take forever to get out of my hair."

PJ laughed and walked to him, pulling him into a hug and shaking his head quickly, making even more flour fly everywhere. I quickly moved away from the cloud, laughing as Chris made frantic gestures to try and get away from him. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight," he grumbled playfully and PJ gasped, pressing rapid kisses all over his face.

"I love you!" PJ said innocently and Chris laughed, shaking his head. "I love you too you weirdo," he said fondly and I smiled at the duo, feeling Dan's arms wrap around my waist. But then before I knew it, a handful of flour fell down my shirt, making me gasp and pull away from my boyfriend, trying to shake it out.

"Daniel James Howell, dang it," I pouted and he laughed, pulling me against him to kiss me. "Love you too, Philip Michael Lester," he said happily and I shook my head, giving him a half smile. I kissed him quickly before turning around, frowning at the mess.

"You're cleaning this up," I said and he looked around, an eyebrow raised. He looked at the tap and the small drip coming out of it, the drip slowly increasing. Soon a steady stream was coming out of it and he raised his hand, moving the water around the room and picking up all of the flour on the floor and counter tops.

I opened the trash can and the few ropes of wet flour went into it, the water turning off behind Dan. He beamed as he said, "All done!" I rolled my eyes but agreed that he'd done a good job at picking up his mess.

Chris looked around and asked, "Can you get the flour out of my hair?" Dan looked at him for a second before a large globe of water appeared around his head for half a second and then rising above him making Chris stumble back in surprise and shock. Dan dumped it into the trash can and said, "No more flour in your hair."

Chris blinked rapidly, utterly startled. "Um, warning next time please," he said shook and I laughed at his expression, doubling over. PJ couldn't help but laugh too, which made Dan start and after a few seconds of bemused glaring at us Chris started too.

After several moments of breathless laughing PJ shook his head and said, "You should probably do something about that water, it's going to leak out of your trash can and I don't think you want that." I shook my head and Dan walked over to the trash and a bunch of water lifted into the air, leaving the flour in the trash as the water evaporated into the air.

"Happy?" he asked and PJ smirked, nodding. "I'd be happier if we could eat now," I said and Dan rolled his eyes, turning around and picking up the plate covered with pancakes, setting them onto the table. "Eggs anyone?" he asked and Chris and PJ said in unison, "Sunny side up please." I rolled my eyes and said, "You know how I like mine love." He nodded, beaming and turned back to the stove, starting the eggs.

I stretched, still feeling sore from not enough movement before sitting down at my usual chair, running a hand through my hair. But not a second after I'd sat down, my phone rang and made me groan. "Don't move love, I can get it," Dan said, placing a couple eggs onto a plate and headed quickly to the living room.

"Thanks, I love you!" I called after him and he blew a kiss over his shoulder before disappearing into the living room. He came back a few seconds later with my phone pressed to his ear, a frown on his face and saying quickly, "Yeah, hang on, he's right here." He held out the phone mouthing, _It's Troye._ I nodded and lifted the phone, saying, "Hello?"

"Phil? Please, you have to help, something's wrong with Tyler," he cried desperately, sounding terrified. I quickly got up and moved to a different room, asking urgently, "What do you mean? What's wrong with Tyler?"

A loud crash sounded and Troye whimpered, saying, "I don't know, he can't get back to his physical form, he's throwing things around without touching them, and his daggers are out. I'm scared, I don't know what's going on."

I frowned, perplexed. Maybe the experiments Malachi had been doing all those months ago were finally catching up to him? "Can you put me on speaker and try to push it closer to him? I'm going to try to talk to him," I asked and he gave a shaky breath as I heard the phone being set down on the floor before sliding across it.

"Tyler? Listen to me, it's Phil, remember me?" I called and another crash sounded, making me wince. Dan walked into the room about to ask something and I raised a finger as I said carefully into the phone, "Tyler, please, stop, you're scaring Troye. You do remember your boyfriend, right? He's terrified right now, stop and listen to me, please."

"Hakan," Tyler's voice said, shaky and a little echoed. "Yes, that's me, c'mon Cheveyo, listen to me, okay?" I said soothingly as I manipulated some flames into the air to say, _Tyler has gone haywire, he's lost control of his ability. Troye is terrified._ Dan's eyes widened as Tyler said haltingly, "I...can't.... stop. Get him out, please."

"You want us to get Troye out?" I asked and he whispered, "Yes, keep him safe, I can't stop," just as another loud crash sounded, Troye crying out in pain. "Troye, get out!" Tyler shouted as several loud crashes sounded at the same time. "I'm not leaving you Tyler! I love you dammit, I'm not going anywhere," Troye shouted back, but then cried out in pain again.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you, but I can't _stop,"_ Tyler cried, making my stomach hurt at the pain in his voice. I grabbed my jeans and quickly changed with one hand, changing my shirt and running a brush through my hair to get as much of the flour out of my hair. Dan had already changed and handed me my shoes, whispering, "PJ and Chris have an idea something's wrong, they said they're going to stay here and watch everything."

I nodded and said into the phone, "Ty, don't worry okay? Dan and I are on our way, fight it okay? Focus on your good memories, fight it." A loud crash answered me and I hurried out the door with the phone pressed to my ear.

"Sorry guys, Tyler's lost control of my magic and needs me there. I'll be back soon, I'm sorry," I said rushed as I grabbed my keys and wallet, the other two nodding as Dan followed me out the door and down the stairs. I didn't have the patience to wait for the lift.

"Troye, please, get out! I don't want to hurt you, please," Tyler pleaded with Troye even as the younger boy cried out in pain, shouting, "No! You're my fiancé, I love you, I'm not leaving you here to deal with this by yourself." A loud crash sounded again and I winced even as I started the car, barely waiting for Dan to close his door before pulling out and driving as fast as I dared down the road.

The 15 minutes it took to get there seemed to take hours, the phone laying between Dan and I on speaker as Tyler and Troye shouted at each other, Troye quite adamant on not leaving Tyler. I pulled up and barely took time to turn off the car and grab the phone before I was rushing inside with Dan.

I burst through the door and saw the mess that was the living room and kitchen. I turned off the phone and rushed to where I could hear Troye yelling and ran into the room just in time to see Tyler flicker and a ceramic pot flew through the air and crashed into the wall just above Troye.

The younger boy had multiple small cuts and bruises, and I could tell he was suffering from the phantom pain of Tyler's daggers. "Tyler!" I shouted and he turned around, his eyes glowing gold as he glared at me. "You should have gotten him out of here," he snarled, several objects floating behind him and pointing to me and Dan.

I glared at him and raised a wall of heat around Dan and I, invisible unless you could feel the waves in the air. "We just got here, Cheveyo. Control yourself or you'll hurt your fiancé," I said coldly and he let out a cold laugh. I shivered, this was not my kind hearted friend, his magic was starting to change him.

"Cheveyo, please, listen to me. I'm Hakan, Ryo's with me, remember us? We're your friends, we protected you as well as we could, we're here for you, can you hear us?" I begged, hoping to reach that part of him that was still my friend.

Dan had created a mirage behind me that made it look just like him and carefully cloaked himself with water particles that reflected light, making him disappear. That was a new trick, but helpful as I noticed him heading over to Troye.

Tyler's golden eyes flickered, his normal blue appearing for a moment before fading back into the golden colour. I didn't think about it, I just dropped the heat wall and walked forward, placing my hand on his shoulder. Somehow, my hand didn't fall through him and his eyes flickered blue in surprise as he looked down at my hand

"Tyler, please, we're here for you. Troye needs you, come back to us, please," I whispered and the gold in his eyes finally faded, his daggers disappearing and the objects behind him fell to the floor. He gasped and fell to his knees, sobbing. I knelt next to him and pulled him into a hug, letting him sob against my shoulder.

"Troye," he gasped and the younger boy crawled closer, obviously still in pain as Dan could only heal physical wounds, not phantom ones. Tyler's tears renewed as Troye curled up against his chest, tears coming from his eyes too. I held both of them, looking to Dan in desperation.

Tyler reached out carefully to Troye's face but the younger boy flinched, visible pain appearing in Tyler's eyes. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," he whispered, gently placing his fingers against Troye's temple. The younger boy relaxed, the pained expression disappearing but a little bit of the nerves still showing in his eyes.

Tyler kissed Troye's forehead before carefully pulling away, standing up and leaving me to hold the younger boy. "I need to go, I can't hurt him again, I won't be able to live with myself if I did," he said shakily and Troye's head shot up, hurt in his eyes.

"No! You're not leaving me, you did that once already and it almost killed me. You are not going anywhere Matthew Tyler Oakley," he said sternly and I dimly realised that Tyler wasn't his first name, it was his middle name.

Tyler shook his head and cried, "Look at what I did today! What if Phil hadn't been able to reach me? I could have killed you. I need to keep you safe, I need to leave." Troye pulled away from me carefully and stood unsteadily, reaching out to Tyler.

The older of the two instinctively reached out and took his hands, making sure he had his balance. Troye walked forward and wrapped his arms around the older boy, burying his face into his neck. "Don't you dare leave me," he whispered and Tyler hesitantly hugged the younger boy close to his chest.

"Okay, I won't leave. But on one condition, okay?" he said sternly and Troye's eyes lit up, though he looked at him in confusion. "What?" he asked and he said, "If this happens again, you leave and get Dan and Phil. Do not stay here where I can hurt you. Do you promise?"

Troye stared at Tyler, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth as he thought. "I promise," he said finally, his voice soft and Tyler smiled at him, pressing his mouth against the younger boy's desperately.

I looked away and looked to Dan, who was watching me with concerned eyes. I knew what that meant, I knew his concerns. I'd been experimented on much longer and much more often than anyone at the cells, what if it was my turn next? My fire could kill a person easily, as shown with Malachi, and terror filled me as my mind started an image of not Malachi exploding, but Dan.

I stood up and walked to him, taking his hand in mine. The coolness of his touch mixed with my natural overheatedness, creating an average heat between us. I looked at Tyler and Troye, the older boy watching us.

"Thank you, Phil, for saving me. I was in there, but I couldn't get out. I saw everything, but I couldn't control it, but thank you, for getting me out," Tyler said softly and I smiled at him. "Of course, you're my friend. I couldn't let you fall victim to your own power, I care for you guys too much," I said and he walked over, Troye still holding onto his hand.

He pulled me into a hug and whispered, "Thank you, still. Be careful, please. Call me if you need me, okay?" I hugged him back, knowing that he felt the same fears I did. I was still terrified that I would lose control of my ability, and I would hurt someone terribly.

He kissed my cheek and then wrapped his arms around Dan, hugging him tightly too. "Thank you for healing Troye, though I wish with all my heart that he didn't need it," he said softly and Dan smiled, hugging him back. "You guys are my friends too, I would do it again in a heartbeat," he said and Tyler smiled, kissing his cheek too before stepping back.

"I'm sure you guys have things to do besides worry about us. We'll see you guys later?" Troye asked and I nodded, smiling at the younger boy. "Of course, just give us a call and we'll meet up," I said and they both pulled us into a small group hug before letting us leave.

I blew them a kiss and followed Dan out to the car, getting into the drivers seat. My thoughts were racing as we drove home at a bit more normal speed. What if I did lose control of my magic? Tyler fought his, threw things around, but with my fire, what would happen if I lost control? Complete control? I could kill him, and that would be the end of me.

I glanced at Dan, who was looking out the window as I drove. The image of him exploding instead of Malachi returned to my head and I frowned, looking away from him and focusing on the road. But that image wouldn't go away, no matter how hard I tried to make it go.

I pulled up to the front entrance and we got out, myself walking ahead of Dan without acknowledging his outstretched hand and just heading inside. I could see the hurt on Dan's face as I did that, but I couldn't let myself go near him. If I ever hurt Dan, it would tear me up inside out. I would rather die than hurt Dan, and if I was too close to him, who knows what could happen?

I walked inside and gave PJ and Chris weak smiles, heading to my room and locking the door. I sat down on my bed and looked around, seeing Dan's things spread out. I lifted my hand and let a small flame appear in my palm, my eyes taking in the simple design of it. My skin felt the heat of the flame, but didn't feel the pain one would usually feel if a flame was sitting on their skin.

An image of Dan's skin turning red from burns appeared in my head and I shook my head, quickly extinguishing the flame and laying back against the pillows. I closed my eyes and felt a couple tears fall down my cheeks.

I had to distance myself from Dan, try to put some space between us so that if I ever lost control, he wouldn't feel the brunt force of it. It would kill me to do so, but I knew the pain of not being able to hold Dan because of something I did would be a million times worse.

I heard a knock on the door and Dan's voice say sadly, "Phil? Love, can you let me in? PJ and Chris left, said that we probably need some time alone." I stared at the doorway, not answering. I didn't know if I should let him in, not yet. The distancing would have to start right away, but maybe, maybe after today. One last day to hold my love.

I walked slowly to the door and opened it, quickly wiping my eyes so it wouldn't be to obvious that I'd been crying. "Oh, Phil," he sighed, walking in and pulling me tightly into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him and felt our magicks whirl around each other, recognising each other as soul mates.

I clung to him, letting him pull me to the bed and once our shoes were off, he had me curl against his chest. "You're thinking about what would happen if you lost control, aren't you," he whispered and I stiffened, unable to say what I was thinking.

"I- Dan," I started and he shook his head, saying, "I'm going to tell you this once, and once only, Phil. If you lose control, I'm going to be right here to help you. And if you even once, try to distance yourself from me, or try to make me leave, I will kick your ass. I'm staying by your side, okay? You even think once about leaving me to protect me, I will find you and then handcuff you to my bed. You're not leaving me, Philip Michael Lester, it's not allowed."

I just looked at him, biting my lower lip. "I can't hurt you, Dan. If I ever did, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I know what my power can do, I saw what it did to Malachi. And after seeing Tyler lose control like that, the image of what I did to Malachi is being replaced by me doing that to you. If I lost you-," I choked out, tears filling my eyes.

Dan moved so he was resting on his elbow, his hand gently wiping my tears. "Listen to me, Phil. You're not losing me. I'm not going anywhere. My magic can cancel yours out, remember? If anything, I should be worry about losing control, yours can't fight mine," he said, frowning. I shook my head, pulling him in for a deep kiss.

"We're going to be fine, right? We can do this," I whispered after the kiss was broken, and he rested his forehead against mine. "Together, we can do anything. We're Ryo and Hakan, Dan and Phil, alone we're powerful, but together, an unstoppable force. We can do this," he said softly and I looked up at him, his warm brown eyes holding nothing back.

I kissed him again, pulling him so he was halfway on top of me. This position made my anxiety bloom again, but feeling Dan's lips against mine help push that feeling away. He pulled back and looked down at me, his fingers brushing my fringe aside.

"Make love to me," he whispered and I blinked surprised. He wasn't a virgin, per say, since he did have flings before me, but this would be our first time together. "Are you sure?" I asked quietly and he nodded, leaning down to kiss me again.

I gently pushed him so I was leaning over him this time, more comfortable here. I didn't like having someone over me, memories of Jackson threatening to overwhelm me. Here, like this, I was alright, and seeing Dan's bright eyes looking at me with so much love in them made everything disappear.

I kissed him again, gently tracing patterns against his stomach under his shirt. I brushed my tongue against his bottom lip, his lips parting and letting our tongues meet in the middle. I pulled back and bit my lip nervously, still wary about being touched.

Dan must have seen this and gently laid his hand on my cheek. "Love, don't worry. I'm here, you're safe, okay? If you ever want to stop, just stop, okay? This is up to you too," he said softly and I nodded, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his lips.

I straddled him, tugging his shirt off as he quickly removed mine, still being careful. I ignored all of the scars, the words carved into my torso, noticing as he kept his eyes on mine while I fumbled nervously with his buckle, hands shaking a little bit. He caught my hands and brought them up to kiss my fingertips.

"Phil, love, relax. It's me, okay? Its just me," he said soothingly and I smiled, whispering, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm so scared. This isn't my first time." He gave me a half smile and said, "After everything that has happened to you, you have every right to be nervous. But just remember, it's me. Just look at me, okay?"

**FYI!! SMUT START!! :* I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN IT'S OVER. THERE'S GOING TO BE 2 SCENES REMEMBER!! LOVE YOU!!**

I nodded and managed to calm myself down enough to kiss him again, letting my hands trail his stomach and chest softly. I undid his jeans, pushing them down so he was laying in only his boxers. He reached forward and carefully undid my jeans, though he let me take them off.

I laid over him pressing our fronts together and grinded down, a soft moan escaping his lips. I smiled against his mouth and continued to thrust against him, soft pants coming from his mouth.

"Dammit Phil, stop teasing, please," he moaned and I moved away from him, a soft whimper coming from his mouth at the loss of contact. I smiled amused at his desperate expression and kissed down his neck, a shiver making its way down his body as I followed it.

I stopped at his right nipple, nipping and sucking at the small nub as he whimpered and panted under me. I moved over to his left one, giving it the same attention as the right. "Phil, please," he gasped and I just smirked against his skin, feeling more confident now as I kissed my way down his stomach until I reached his waistline.

I tugged his boxers down and he reached for my hair, but I grabbed his hands and held them above his head. "No moving, love, or you won't be allowed to come," I said softly and his eyes went wider with lust, nodding quickly as he wrapped his hands around the bedframe.

I moved back down his body, taking his boxers off completely and letting his prick lay out on his stomach, the head just under his bellybutton. I looked up at him with wide eyes, a small smirk on my lips. He whimpered as he looked down at me, eyes blown wide. I wrapped my tongue around his tip, pulling him into my mouth and sucking lightly at his head, a half gasp half moan falling from his lips.

I bobbed my head a couple times, my tongue wrapped around his shaft and putting pressure in all the right places if the sounds coming from Dan's mouth were any indication. While I had him distracted, I placed a finger at his entrance, prodding gently at the area.

He gasped in surprise and I pulled away from his prick, holding my fingers to his mouth. "Suck," I ordered and he opened his mouth immediately, wrapping his lips and tongue around my fingers as if they were a popsicle. I swallowed as I watched his mouth work around my fingers, suddenly wanting them somewhere else.

I pulled my fingers out of his mouth and moved up his body, his eyes wide as he realised what I wanted. I smiled and threaded my fingers through his hair, saying, "Do you mind?" He shook his head quickly and opened his mouth, his fingers tightening around the bed frame eagerly.

I had already removed my boxers, still a little wary of someone doing that for me so I moved forward, guiding my head into his mouth. His eyes held an open invitation so I slowly started thrusting into his mouth, a soft moan escaping my lips as he eagerly took the intrusion into his throat.

I slowly gained speed, not wanting to choke him but his eyes kept begging me for more. So I started thrusting deeper in, starting to hit the back of his throat. His eyes watered but he seemed to love it, relaxing his jaw and throat to take more of me in.

I felt my end coming so I removed myself from his mouth, a whimper of protest escaping his throat. "I'm going to be coming inside that pretty little ass of yours, Dan, not your mouth," I whispered into his ear and he nodded eagerly, his knees moving a little further apart. I smirked at his eagerness and reached into my bedside table, taking a condom and some lube out of it.

I set the condom beside him and opened the lube cap, pouring some onto my fingers. I rubbed some at his entrance and felt him shiver under me, a small whimper leaving his throat. I shook my head amused, I hadn't even done anything yet.

I pressed a finger into him, making him shift and clench his hands tighter, his teeth pulling at his bottom lip. "Relax, love," I said softly and I felt him take a breath and his body relaxed, giving me better access. I moved that finger couple times before sliding a second one in next to it, making him whimper.

"Relax, love, it'll make it easier," I said and he nodded, swallowing as his body relaxed around my fingers once again. I moved the fingers for a few seconds before curving them, searching for that one spot that would make him fall apart.

After a minute or two of searching, Dan suddenly let out a loud moan, his body shuddering as I rubbed against a small, hardened nub against his walls. I smirked and started slowly massaging it, slipping a third finger in while he was distracted.

"Phil, dammit, just get in me already," he groaned and my smirk grew, not listening to him. I continued to thrust my fingers in him, making him whine with desperation. "Daddy, _please,_ " he groaned, making my eyes widen and my prick twitch against my leg.

"Fuck, okay," I muttered, pulling my fingers out of him and quickly grabbing the condom. "N-No, want to feel you, _please,_ " he begged and I nodded, starting to feel impatient myself. I threw it aside again and put a generous amount of lube on my prick, lining myself up.

I pushed in carefully, watching his expression. He scrunched up his nose and tears formed at the corners of his eyes, so I stopped moving, only having gotten just past my head. "Relax, love, Daddy's going to take care of you," I said softly and he blinked, nodding trustingly.

I felt him relax and he whispered, "Move," so I started pushing in carefully again, stopping just over halfway as he tensed up again. "Don't tense, love," I said again and he licked his lips, his hands tightening on the bed frame. I felt him relax so I pushed the rest of the way in, bottoming out and taking a breath to make sure I didn't start thrusting too soon into the tight heat surrounding my prick.

I took his hands from the bed frame and placed them on my shoulders, knowing he wanted to touch me. He tightened his hands on my shoulders and whispered, "You can move Daddy." I smiled, really enjoying him calling me that for some reason.

I started thrusting into him shallowly, making him whimper pleadingly. "More, please Daddy, please," he whimpered and I started thrusting a bit deeper, trying to angle myself so I would find that one spot again.

He cried out and arched his back a few moments later, telling me I found the spot again. I smiled smugly to myself and started thrusting faster and harder in the same angle, feeling his fingernails dig into my shoulders.

"Daddy, _fuck_ , ahh," Dan cried out, his legs wrapping around my waist tightly as I thrust as fast as I dared into him. "Such a good boy for me," I said softly, moving my arm so I could wrap a hand around him. He gave another loud cry, his legs shaking with the extra stimulation.

"Are you close baby boy?" I asked and he nodded quickly, a series of moans and half formed words falling from his lips. I kissed his neck, my hips moving faster as I felt that coil in the bottom of my stomach.

"Then come for me baby boy," I said softly into his ear and he arched his back into my chest, a loud cry coming from his mouth as he released between us. As I felt him clench around me, I closed my eyes and let out a groan, biting his collarbone as I released inside him.

**END SMUT!! THANK YOU BUT THERE MIGHT BE MORE LATER IDK YET!! LOVE YOU!!!**

He went limp against me, eyes closed blissfully. I smiled fondly at him and carefully pulled out of him, using my shirt to carefully wipe him off as I pulled him gently against my chest. I ran my fingers through his hair and said softly, "Dan, sweetheart, can you look at me? You did so good, love, look at me."

He sighed happily, nuzzling into my neck and wrapping his arms around me tightly. I smiled fondly and said, "C'mon love, let me see your eyes before you go to sleep, okay?" He hummed, but didn't move for a minute. I rolled my eyes but he finally pulled away, blinking sleepily at me.

"Hello there beautiful," I said fondly and he flushed, hiding his face against my chest shyly. I chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "C'mon love, I'm sure you want to get cleaned up, right? It's only 2 in the afternoon, you can't sleep yet," I said softly and he whined against my skin, tightening his hold around my waist.

I rolled my eyes and maneuvered him so I could pick him up and carry him into the bathroom. I sat him down onto the counter where he blinked sleepily at me. I smiled and moved to stand between his legs, pulling him down to kiss him softly. He smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms loosely around my neck.

I chuckled against his lips, pulling away and saying, "I'm going to get the shower ready, okay?" He nodded, a small smile on his face as he looked down at the floor. I smiled fondly, he was such an adorably shy person after sex.

I set the shower settings to not quite hot, but not lukewarm either. After testing the shower, I turned around and helped Dan off the counter and into the shower, moving to stand behind him. He sighed as I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing soft kisses against his neck.

"You really are one gorgeous creature," I said softly and I saw his neck and cheeks flush, making me chuckle softly. I kissed my way up his neck and to his jaw line, making him shudder.

Feeling his warm, wet, naked body against mine was turning me on again, and I couldn't help but picture having Dan pressed against the shower wall, water running down his body as I was buried deep within him.

I ran my hands down his stomach and I felt him shudder, a soft moan escaping his lips as I bit softly down on his collarbone. "You think you're up for round two?" I asked softly and he nodded eagerly, seeming to be alert once more as I turned him around and brought my lips against his.

**MORE SMUT HERE LOL SORRY MY MIND LIKES WRITING THIS AT 3 AM**

I pulled his body against mine, feeling his length against mine as I tugged his bottom lip into my mouth. I turned us so he was pressed against the wall trapped between my arms. I broke the kiss, leaving him panting as I trailed kisses down his neck, my tongue flicking out to catch the water droplets from the shower on his skin.

He whimpered and rocked his hips forward against mine, the water running down our bodies making it easier to slide against each other. He moaned as I latched onto his pulse spot on his neck, sucking lightly to leave a mark.

"Daddy please," he pleaded, his hips moving desperately against mine. I grabbed his waist and made him stop moving, making him whimper needily. "Daddy, _please,_ " he begged, his hands clutching at my shoulders tightly. I knew I was going to have marks where his nails were digging into my skin, but I really didn't care.

"Turn around," I ordered and he nodded quickly doing so. I ran my fingers down his spine, barely touching the skin with my fingertips. He shuddered, his forehead leaning against the wall as soft pants were leaving his mouth.

I moved him so he was leaning partially over, his hands holding onto the side of the tub. I nudged his legs apart, knowing he didn't need any stretching. I leaned over him and whispered, "How do you want it baby boy? Slow? Fast? Gentle? Hard?" He shuddered and after a moment of hesitation, he said quietly, "Fast and hard, please Daddy, need you."

I smirked lightly, moving so I could guide myself into him, slowly pressing my head in before stopping, making him whimper. He tried to push back against me but I grabbed his hips, saying sharply, "No moving baby boy." He nodded and tried to still himself but couldn't help the jolt of his body as I snapped my hips forward, sheathing myself inside him in one quick movement.

He let out a loud cry as I didn't give him a moment to adjust, immediately moving swiftly and making his body shake with the force of my thrusts. "Da-a-ddy!" He cried, his voice shaking in a mixture of pleasure and pain. I worried for a second that it was too much but then I saw how turned on he was and knew he was loving this. My baby was kinky as all living hell.

The steam of the shower and the natural heat of my body reacting with Dan's naturally cool skin was making this room extremely foggy but I couldn't focus on that. I was more focused on the feel of Dan's arse around my prick, the sounds falling from his lips, and the coil in my stomach.

I leaned over him slightly, wrapping my hand around his prick as I angled myself, his cries growing even louder than before as I found his prostate once more. "Daddy, I- I'm," he gasped and I kissed his shoulder, saying, "Go ahead baby boy, I have you. Let go."

He practically screamed as he released, the tightening around my prick triggering my climax, a groan leaving my lips as once again I released deep inside my boyfriend. I felt his body sag tiredly after we'd ridden out our orgasms, myself carefully pulling out as I wrapped my arms around him.

**END SMUT AGAIN I'M SURE THIS IS THE LAST SCENE THIS CHAPTER! LOVE YOU!! :***

I carefully held him against my chest, changing the shower setting into a bath and settling down on the bottom with him. He sighed blissfully, his head leaning back against my shoulder. I smiled softly, running my fingers through his wet curls and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

I gently started washing his body and hair, soft content hums coming from his chest. I smiled fondly at him, wondering how I could have ever thought about leaving him. As of this moment, the very idea of not having him by my side was painful, and I knew I wouldn't be leaving him anytime soon.

We stayed in the warm bath until the water started to go cold, even with the occasional pulses of heat I was putting through the water so I helped him out of the bath, dried us and him into clean boxers. I pulled my own boxers on as he stood next to the bed sleepily.

I smiled fondly at him, taking his hand and bringing him into his room as my bed was kind of a mess right now. I pulled him under the covers and against my chest, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. "I love you, Bear, forever," I whispered softly and he hummed, a content smile on his face. "I love you too, Lion, always," he replied sleepily and a few seconds later, he was fast asleep.

I smiled and closed my eyes, feeling tired for the first time in forever. I let myself drift off, no nightmares tonight, just dreams of my baby boy tight in my arms.


	10. Chapter 9: All My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite couple is at Phil's home where Phil loses control, resulting in some sad moments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some craziness, some smut, a lot of tears, hope you enjoy! ^.^
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> (title based on All My Heart by SWS so if you want, you guys can look it up and listen to it. I'll put a *** to show when to start the song if you wish)

The last 6 months have seemed to passed quickly. Police had declared Malachi dead, unable to find a body, Jackson healed for the most part and is now in the permanent ward of the prison hospital.

Our friends hadn't had any other control issues except for Joey who for a full day wasn't able to solidify his body and was stuck in a cloud form. With Troye's and PJ's help, though, we managed to get him turned back. This was about three months ago, but everything seemed fine now.

As for me and Dan, we were good. We were still going strong, happy. With every passing day I spent with him, my love for him just grew stronger and stronger, still burning as bright as any flame I could conjure.

As of today, though, Dan and I were currently in Manchester visiting my family. I hadn't seen them in way too long, only once since the rescue, and that had been when they came to visit three weeks after I'd gotten out of the hospital. They knew of my ability, at least my mother and brother knew for sure, though I wasn't sure if they'd told my father.

They knew Dan and I were together, considering that Mum had walked into our house to find us asleep and cuddling on the couch. She'd taken several pictures before waking us up, and I wasn't ashamed to say I'd taken one or two of them and now had one as my homescreen on my phone.

At this moment, my brother Martyn and I were sitting in the living room watching some TV while Dan helped my mum in the kitchen. I'd tried to help but both Mum and Dan had told me to sit and chill with my brother, which is just weird but it was going alright.

"So, fire," Martyn said casually and I stiffened, nodding slowly. "Yeah, and?" I asked defensively and he raised an eyebrow at me. "Can I see something?" he asked finally and I shrugged, shifting in my seat and looking at him.

"What exactly would you like to see?" I asked and he thought for a second before saying, "Can you make a shape with flames in the air?" I shrugged, scoffing in my head. Amateur shite. I lifted my hand and coated my hands with the flames, the perfect mold lifting off and into the air. I controlled the flames with my physical hand, forming a hand with a middle finger at my brother.

He laughed, shaking his head. "You are not the same little brother I remember," he said and I shrugged. "Being held captive does that to a person, especially when your friends and boyfriend are there too," I said a little flatly and his laugh died off slowly.

"I can tell you right now you're stronger than I am. I would have broke a week in," he said and I sighed. "It came close a couple times, actually, but, I remembered Dan. I needed to protect him to the best of my abilities, and if that meant more pain for me, I could handle it. Then all my other friends I saved, they are so much younger than me. I mean, Troye is only 21, just barely starting life, he didn't deserve that," I said quietly and he gave me a sad smile.

"You didn't deserve that either, Phil. You know that right?" he said and I shrugged again. He shook his head and said a little firmer, "You did not deserve that. None of you did. Just because you're born with something extra doesn't mean shite. You're my little brother, you annoy me, you irritate me to no end, but you're still family. You did not deserve that."

I gave him a smile, not even forced this time. "Phil! Martyn! Dinner!" Mum called from the kitchen and in unison we shouted, "Coming Mum!" We smirked at each other, the heavy atmosphere from a minute ago lightened and we, as we did as kids, raced each other to the kitchen.

"Ha! Beat you again," I said victoriously to Martyn and he rolled his eyes. "Your chair was closer to the door, shut it," he groaned and I laughed, sitting next to Dan and leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. He beamed at me and leaned over to whisper, "Your mum gave me the boyfriend talk. Should she know she's already too late?"

I burst out laughing, shaking my head. Mum, Dad and Martyn stared at me and I beamed innocently at them. "You know what to do," Mum said, gesturing to the food in the middle of the table and we all served ourselves, humming happily as the first bite passed our lips.

We spent dinner talking about random things, such as Dad's job, Martyn's non existant love life, Dan and I, a few get togethers we'd had with our friends, and I told them all about our new friends we'd made in the cells without mentioning the place. We talked about everything except our abilities and the kidnapping. They didn't know about the Jackson incident, and I wanted to keep it that way.

Dan reached under the table and squeezed my knee, smiling softly at me. I smiled and soon dinner was over, so we all headed into the living room for movie night as it had been every Friday night since I could remember. I pulled Dan against my chest on one loveseat, Mum leaning on Dad on the other and Martyn spread out on the only couch.

We'd chosen the Hunger Games: Catching Fire and I couldn't help but whisper random lines into Dan's ear, making him giggle and smack my chest, giving me playful glares. I could see Mum giving us fond looks and my brother making disgusted expressions, messing with me. I would stick my tongue out at him and he'd smirk.

Later on in the movie, I found that with every attack, every explosion, every _hint_ of fire, my temperature would heat up and memories would fill my head and paranoia would fill me. Dan noticed this and would try to cool me down, trying to make as much of my body touch his but nothing worked.

Soon though, one too many explosions finally pushed me over and small flames sprung from my skin. "Phil, love, calm down, please," Dan begged, getting up quickly and moving between me and my family. "Get out, go dammit," I choked out and Dan turned around, saying, "You need to go, you can't stop this, I need to talk to him, go, it would kill him if he hurt you."

Mum and Martyn were watching with wide yet understanding eyes while Dad was looking horrified. Flames filled my hand and against my will I flung them against the couch, the sofa immediately catching fire. "Go!" I shouted, the only thing I was able to do though I could feel it becoming less and less easy to do.

My family ran out of the room and Dan turned back to me. Finally, I felt something take over me and now I couldn't talk to him. Dan's eyes widened and he said, "Phil? Lion, are you in there?" I tried to yell yes, but I couldn't, flames forming in my hand as I walked slowly closer to him.

I caught sight of myself in the small mirror behind Dan, my eyes flickering red and orange, flames running through my hair. My face was expressionless, making me look deadly with the strange colour in my eyes.

Every step I took left a flame footprint, almost every inch of my body covered in flames. Dan formed an water globe and put out the couch and the floor behind me, sending more paranoia running through my body. I felt a growl rush through my chest and this time I flung the flames directly at Dan.

Dan raised a wall of water that absorbed the fireball and the part that was _me_ inside me was screaming and raging, though my body was completely stoic. My body walked closer, a snarl ripping its way out of my throat. Dan evaporated the wall and walked closer to me, wariness and fear in his eyes.

"Phil, love, _please,_ come back to me, I need you," he begged and my body twisted away from his outstretched hand and threw another fireball. He was too slow this time to catch it with a water wall and this one enveloped his arm, a cry of pain coming from his throat as he quickly tried to put out the flames with water.

Inside me, I was sobbing, repeating in my head, _I'_ _m sorry baby, I'm so sorry, please forgive me_. Dan looked at me with tears in his eyes and didn't hesitate, just ran to me and wrapped his arms around me. My body froze, feeling Dan's familiar magic whirl around me and I finally broke through my ability wall, hugging him back and bursting out in tears.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," I kept whispering through my sobs, clinging to him tightly. He just tightened his hug and whispered, "It wasn't you Lion, I'm fine, I'm okay." My knees gave out and we knelt on the floor, Dan holding me tightly.

"I need to leave, I'm a danger to you," I whispered and he leaned back, horror in his eyes. "No! You are not leaving me Phil Lester, you _promised,_ remember?" he demanded and I shook my head. "I _hurt_ you Dan, I couldn't stop myself. I, I can't do it again, it'll _kill_ me if I ever hurt you again. Look at your arm!" I said sadly, looking at the red skin covering his forearm.

He looked down at it and shrugged, though I could tell he was making sure it wouldn't touch his side. "I've had worse, love. It's just a burn, I'm okay," he said and I shook my head. He didn't _understand._ "It's not just a burn, Dan. I gave you that burn, the flames that caused that burn are from _me._ I can't do that again, I just can't," I pleaded and his fingers grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"Listen to me love, you are not a danger to me. Okay? I love you, Phil Lester, and you are not leaving me. What just happened is not your fault. Understand?" he said sternly and I bit my lip, starting into his eyes. "I understand," I lied softly, knowing that as soon as he went to bed, I would be gone. I couldn't stand the idea of hurting Dan again, and seeing the burns covering his arm and knowing that _I_ did that, hurt more than words could say.

He helped me stand up, keeping a tight hold on my hand. "Guys? It's safe now," Dan called and Mum, Dad and Martyn ran in, Mum taking in the damage I'd done to the room. "I'm sorry Mum," I whispered and she shook her head, walking to me and wrapping her arms around me with no hesitation.

"You're my baby boy, Philly, and this wasn't your fault. I remember you telling me a couple months ago about what happened with Tyler, it's all that man's fault. This isn't your fault," she whispered and I hugged her back, bending over so I could hide my face in her neck.

"Honestly though, you looked pretty badass," Martyn said off-handedly and then he said, "Ow, hey!" I chuckled as I pulled away from Mum and noticed that Dan had dropped a globe of water on his head. I smiled, masking my emotions as I stared at Dan. He noticed me looking at him and he gave me a smile, walking over and taking my hand.

"So, you're one of those kids who had been taken by that one doctor," Dad said and I stiffened, feeling Dan's hand tighten around mine. "Yes, sir, I was. I was actually the first one taken," I said and he nodded, his face impassive as he watched me.

"Both of you have abilities then," he said and I rolled my eyes, starting to get overly defensive which turned into sarcasm. "What gave it away? The large fire I started or the globe of water dropping on Martyn's head?" I asked sarcastically and I heard Martyn try not to laugh.

"How long have you known about your abilities?" he asked and I shrugged. "Since I was 5," I said shortly and he frowned. "How did you keep it a secret?" he asked and I hesitated. Would he get mad that Mum knew and he didn't?

"I helped him, I found him one day playing with the fireplace and I helped him control it and keep it a secret," Mum said, her chin raised up. Dad gave her a surprised look and asked Martyn, "Did you know?" My brother shook his head and said, "Not until earlier this week. Mum told me the day we found out Dan and Phil were coming to visit."

Dad nodded slowly and looked around the room. Half of the couch was burnt, the floor had burn marks and the wall closest to the door was scorched with black marks. "This is going to be a mess to clean up," he muttered to himself and Dan stepped closer.

"I can help with that," he said and raised his hand, water gathering above it. My brother watched awed as the small rope of water moved about the room, cleaning the floor and wall by taking away the damaged parts of the paint. I opened the front door and looked around quickly before moving aside, letting Dan drop the water outside in the grass.

"I can help paint it tomorrow, and I'll buy the paint too," I said to Mum and she shook her head. "No, that's just fine Phil. What has been cleaned up is enough. Now, as it's late, why don't you two head over to your hotel?" she said and I nodded, hugging her once again.

"Love you Mum," I said and she smiled, hugging me back tightly. "Love you too, Philly. Now go on, I don't want you out driving too late at night," she said and I rolled my eyes making her laugh. She kissed my cheek and I gave my brother a one armed hug before shaking Dad's hand.

I took Dan's hand in mine and led him out to the car, still unsettled about how I lost control. I got into the drivers seat while Dan buckled into the passenger seat, pulling out of the driveway and into the street.

During the drive there, I kept glancing at Dan every few seconds. He was looking out the window, so he didn't know I was looking at him. But I couldn't help but try and memorise his features. I knew it would be too long after I left tonight that I would see his face again, and the thought caused shooting pains in my chest.

I pulled up into the parking lot of the hotel Dan and I were staying at, since there wasn't room for both of us at my parent's house. We got out and Dan took my hand in his, intertwining our fingers together as he led me inside. We reached our room after waiting in the elevator for a few minutes and Dan collapsed on the bed.

I stood by the doorway, watching him as he spread out like a starfish on the bed and groaned, "Oh this bed feels nice." I chuckled amused and decided to enjoy this night I would have with Dan, so I jumped onto the bed next to him and startled him.

I moved so I was sitting on his hips, my legs on either side of him and he looked up at me amused. "Well hello there," he said and I laughed lightly, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his mouth. He hummed happily, moving his hands to tangle in my hair.

"Convince me," I said to him and he grew confused for a second before seeming to realise what I meant. His hands tightened onto my hips and he brought his mouth to mine again, kissing me frantically. "I'm going to convince you, Phil Lester. You are not a danger, you are the love of my life, and it would absolutely destroy me if you ever left me," he said and with those words second thought started filtering through my head.

But then I saw the burns on his forearm that were starting to blister and my resolve hardened again. I couldn't be near him after tonight unless I was sure I wasn't going to hurt him again.

But then Dan flipped us, kissing me desperately. He straddled my waist and tugged at my shirt. "I love you Phil Lester, so much, don't leave me," he whispered and guilt filled me as I kissed him again, murmuring against his lips, "I love you too Dan Howell, forever."

I flipped us again and tugged off our shirts, getting his jeans off just as quickly. I didn't want this to end, feeling my love pressed against me and his mouth messily moving with mine, his hands in my hair as I ground my hips down on his, the soft sounds coming from his mouth. I didn't want to lose him, but I also couldn't hurt him. He was safer away from me.

**SMUT!! JUST A WARNING!! *** (song)**

I tugged down his boxers and wrapped my fingers around his semi, running my hand over it a couple times before wrapping my lips around his tip. As I bobbed my head a couple times I felt him harden completely in my mouth, his hands tugging at my hair.

"Ph-Phil, please," he moaned as I swirled my tongue around his tip, sucking at the beads of precum leaking out of his slit. I pulled away, tasting the bittersweet taste of him on my tongue as I moved up his body to kiss him deeply.

He fumbled with the button on my jeans before getting them undone and pushing them down my hips. "I love you I love you I love you," I mumbled, meaning every word as I kissed him again, kicking my jeans and boxers off to the side before laying across his body. "I love you too," he gasped as I pressed my length against his, grinding down.

I reached into my suitcase which was still by the bed and pulled out the small bottle of lube I'd brought and nudged Dan's legs apart. "Keep your hands up baby boy," I said softly and he nodded, immediately grabbing the bed frame as I pressed a lube coated finger against his entrance.

I slipped it past the ring of muscle and he hummed, shifting slightly. It had been a few days since we'd last done this and he was rather tight again. I paused for a second until he nodded, letting me pump it a couple times before slipping a second finger in, moving those for a few seconds before curling them.

A few seconds later he gave a loud cry, making me smirk and start slowly rubbing at the small nub on his walls. "D-Daddy, _please,_ get in me now," he begged, writhing under me as a third finger joined the first two, all three continuing my slow assault on his prostate.

"Of course baby boy," I said softly, pulling my fingers out and covering myself generously with the lube before lining up. I leaned over him as I pressed in, his mouth opening as a soft moan escaped his throat. I bottomed out and paused, leaning down to trail kisses up his neck and jaw before capturing his lips in a passionate kiss.

"Move Daddy, please?" he begged and I smiled down at him, memorising this face as I started thrusting slowly, not wanting to move too fast and hurt him. "Faster, please Daddy, fuck, faster," he begged, his hands tightening around the bed frame and his legs wrapping tightly around my waist.

I smirked and slowed down, making him whimper and try to push back against me. "Daddy, _no,_ please, _faster,_ " he begged, and without a second's hesitation, I immediately thrust my hips harder and faster, making his eyes widen and head fall back in pure ecstasy.

His hands moved from the bed frame and grabbed my shoulders, making me shake my head. I smacked my hand on his hip sharply, making him gasp in pain and pleasure as a red mark appeared. "Put your hands back where they're supposed to be baby boy," I ordered, a little breathlessly and he nodded quickly, wrapping his hands around the bedframe once again.

"Sorry D-Daddy," he gasped and I leaned down and pressed my mouth to his. I didn't have the heart to punish him for disobeying, knowing this would be the last time I would see him in a very long time so I just said, "Don't move again." He nodded and my hips once again started their fast and hard pace, his eyes glazing over with the sudden surge of pleasure.

I angled my hips, keeping my eyes on his face and smiled smugly to myself as his eyes shot open a few seconds later, a loud groan falling from his lips. I continued to thrust against that spot, a whimper escaping his lips every few seconds as his hands tightened around the bedframe.

"D-Daddy, close," he gasped out and I wrapped my hand around his prick, feeling the coil at the same time. "Come when I tell you too, okay? Not a second before," I ordered and he nodded, biting his lip desperately.

I thrust faster as I chased my climax, moving my hand around Dan's prick in time with my thrusts. "D-Daddy, _please,_ I-I need," he begged, pulling at the bed frame. "Okay baby boy, go ahead, come," I said and as soon as the last word left my lips, his mouth was open as a loud cry escaped his lips, his release all over our stomachs.

As he came, he tightened around me, triggering my release deep inside him. "Ah _fuck_ ," I groaned into his neck, making him whimper as I snapped my hips a couple more times. I stopped moving and rested my forehead against his, pulling out of him carefully.

**SMUT'S OVER LOVES!! THANK YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY ^.^ (maybe not after this chapter xD)**

He immediately curled up against my side, wrapping his arms around me tightly and nuzzling into my neck. "I love you Phil, please don't leave me," he whispered and I closed my eyes, hating myself for what I was about to say. "I love you too, Dan, and I'll always be yours," I whispered, knowing this was the truth. I would never love someone the way I loved Dan, nor would I ever want to.

He fell asleep after a few kisses and soft words from me. I watched him sleep for about an hour, making sure he was actually asleep before pulling out of his arms carefully. I dressed quietly and sat down at the desk, wanting to leave him a letter before I left.

_Bear,_

_I love you. I love you so much and it kills me to have to do this, but I can't let myself be around you until I know I'm not a danger. What happened today, at my parent's house, it can never happen again. I see those burns on your arm and I can't help but hate myself for doing it._

_I promise you, Dan Howell, that as soon as I know I'm safe, I'm in control, I will come back to you. I can't ask you to wait for me, and I'll understand if you don't, but just know I will always be yours. You are the love of my life, the one person I trust above all others, my best friend, my other half. No one can replace you, no matter what._

_Stay safe my love, please, stay safe. As long as I know you're safe, I'll be able to go on. I'll come back to you someday, I promise. We'll have that life we always dreamt of, married, kids, watching anime on the couch in our eighties. We will have that, but not until I know I won't hurt you._

_I'll come back Dan Howell. I promise. Just remember, I will always love you, I will always be yours, and you will always be my number one._

_I love you,_

_Lion._

I folded up the letter and placed it where I knew he would be able to see it. I stopped by the bed and looked at Dan sleeping, curled up in a ball with a soft smile on his face. I could help but take out my phone and snap one last picture of him, wanting to remember this expression for the rest of the time I was away from him.

I looked at the letter again before taking off the heart pendant I'd worn since Jackson had attacked me all those months ago and set it next to the letter. I wanted him to have it, I knew he would need it more than me. I looked back at Dan, tears pricking at my eyes as pain filled my chest.

I leaned over him and pressed one last kiss to his mouth, lingering slightly as tears fell from my eyes. "I love you, Dan, please don't forget me," I whispered and he curled into a smaller ball around a pillow, sighing in his sleep. I brushed my fingers lightly across his hair and grabbed my suitcase, glancing back once more before leaving the room.

I called a cab, leaving the car to Dan and soon, I was leaving the hotel behind, with the love of my life in it. I closed my eyes as the tears fell down my cheeks, not even bothering to try and hide them or stop them.

The further away I went from Dan, the harsher the pain was in my chest. I'd turned off my phone, and was planning on changing my number so Dan wouldn't be able to call me and convince me to come back too soon. I needed to be safe, and as much as it hurt us, this was the only way.

I didn't know where I was going, but I had told the man to drop me off in Radcliffe and I would find my way from there. I had a friend in Radcliffe who could help me, as he also had a fire ability. I closed my eyes and decided I would try to sleep the two hours it would take to get there, but when I did, all I dreamt about was a beautiful brown eyed boy with a wide, happy smile.

**(I originally wrote this right after the Potato Prints video and it freaked the fudge out of me, and that's saying something cos I usually don't get disturbed. But I watched it a second time and I was alright after that xD)**

 

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 10: Forever...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil has been gone 5 years and Dan has fallen off the deep end. on the 5 year anniversary of Phil leaving, Dan gets a surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last official chapter of Ryo and Hakan!! I'll post the epilogue after this, and I might be writing a sequel for Chris and PJ's history, then maybe one other couple idk for sure yet. Hope you enjoy!!
> 
>  
> 
> also, there's smut at the end, yep

**_Dan POV_ **

I sighed, exiting out of yet another dead end online. I'd been searching and searching for Phil since he disappeared 5 years ago. The exact anniversary of him leaving me was tomorrow, and I was not looking forward to it.

I looked out the window, tears forming in my eyes yet again. I had thought I'd cried myself out the first two weeks he'd been gone, calling his number every hour to see if he would pick up. I'd shattered my phone after a week because when I'd called once again, I wasn't greeted with his familiar voicemail but instead a robotic voice saying the number was no longer in service.

PJ, Chris and all our friends had helped me look, but he seemed to have just vanished into thin air. My searching slowed over the years, but I still looked at least once a day. I searched his name, I searched credit cards, I searched old friends, nothing. And tomorrow will mark the 5 year anniversary since I last got to hold him.

So much has happened since he'd left, too. Chris and PJ had gotten married and adopted a small girl who was utterly adorable. Tyler and Troye got married, and adopted twin girls, only 5 months old at the time but are now 2 years old. Felix and Marzia had gotten married, and they have a 3 year old son now. Joey and Daniel are engaged but are raising a small boy, Daniel's nephew as his sister and brother in law had passed away. Louise had another baby, a small boy after Darcy and she was happy. Johnnie and Kyle had gotten engaged last year and their wedding was in two months.

Then there was me. I was still heartbroken to having woken up in that hotel room alone, all of Phil's things missing and nothing but a letter and that necklace. I had read the letter in confusion, but once it sank in I'd screamed in pain. I'd thrown the necklace across the room, but it didn't break after Troye's power had made it indestructible.

But now, I wore the necklace everyday. I reread the letter every night before going to bed. I watched the few videos I'd taken on random days of him, looked through my pictures of him every couple of days. I still lived in the apartment I'd bought for us after rescuing him from Jackson all that time ago. I was terrified I would forget the sound of his laugh, the colour of his eyes. I was forgetting the feeling of his kiss, the feeling of his arms around me, keeping me warm.

I went to bed, not wanting to get up the next day. I had a habit of doing this, on the anniversary of the day Phil had left me I wouldn't leave my room. I would play music he used to listen to, light candles so I could have some kind of flame near me. I went into a stupor, and all my friends knew not to contact me on today after the first anniversary I'd almost attacked Damon before breaking down. Now they just left me alone.

Halfway through the day, the doorbell rang. I blinked tiredly, wondering who that would be. No one messed with me today, not even my family. The doorbell rang again and I stood up slowly, my entire body weak. I hadn't eaten in three days, barely drinking water. I walked to the doorway placed my hand on the handle, ready to start cussing out the person behind it.

I threw the door open and opened my mouth angrily but froze, my hand falling from the door handle and falling back into the house as I was greeted with familiar blue eyes. "Dan?" he asked quietly and his _voice_ , familiar yet different, shy yet more confident, hopeful yet fearful.

"Phil?" I choked out and he nodded, biting his lip nervously. He opened his mouth and said, "I'm sorry." Those words just sent a wave of anger through me and I reached out, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into the living room, shoving him onto the couch.

"You're _sorry?!_ You have no right to come back after _five fucking years_ and just say _sorry,_ Phil Lester. Do you have any _idea_ how torn up I was after you left? How far into depression I went when I realised you _lied_ to me and left me anyway? All I got was a fucking _letter_ and that necklace, nothing else. How could you _do_ that to me? I thought we said we were going to stick by each other forever and always? That's what we said, right? Ryo and Hakan, our friends called us the ying and the yang, completely different yet we needed each other. I needed you, Phil, but you fucking _left,_ " I shouted, breaking down into tears as my voice broke on 'left'.

Phil got up, leaning down and wrapping his arms tightly around me. I clung to him, breathing his familiar scent of peppermint and burning wood, sobbing into his shirt. "You _left,_ you fucking bastard, you _left_ me," I cried and he pulled me onto the couch, holding me tightly in his arms.

"Dan, please, listen to me. I don't think you understand how _much_ I hated myself after hurting you that day. When I left and gotten to my friend's house, I went off the deep end. I needed you so much, but every night all I saw was you in Malachi's place. I saw myself losing control once again and instead of just hurting your arm, I killed you. Every time I had that dream, I felt like I was going to die.

"My friend helped me a lot. I've lost control almost 10 times since I left, and four of those times I almost killed my friend. The only thing that helped him was being able to manipulate the fire away from him. Your water would have done nothing. It was after that that I was grateful I'd left because if you had been there, you would be dead now.

"But I'm back now, as I promised all those years ago. My friend managed to clean my system of all the remaining chemicals and after effects of whatever Malachi did to me and I haven't lost control in almost a year now. If you don't want me here, I underst-" he had been ranting nervously but when he had stated the thought of me not wanting him here, I couldn't hear that.

I kissed him desperately, shifting around in his lap to straddle him and tangling my fingers in his hair. "I've waited five _long_ years for you to come back to me, Phil Lester. I may be absolutely pissed at you, but I still want you here. And I'm going to tell you right now, if you leave me again, I won't be here waiting for you. I don't think I'll be able to handle that again," I said quietly and his blue eyes flickered slightly.

"I'm going to tell you right now, Dan Howell, I don't ever plan on leaving you again. If I ever think of going somewhere else, I'm taking you with me because now that I experienced what it feels like not to have you by my side when I sleep, I never want to feel that again. I'm yours, forever always, and I'm not leaving you," he said firmly, placing his hand on my cheek and running his thumb under my eye to catch the tears falling.

"I love you, and I always have. Not a day went by that I didn't have you on my mind. I love you, I love you, I love you," he whispered, pressing rapid kisses to my mouth. I kissed him back just as desperately, rememorizing the feel of his mouth against mine, the feel of his hands holding me tightly, the feel of his skin heating mine.

He picked me up, surprising me as before he hadn't been able to carry me as easily. "I had to do a lot of running and work outs to help centre my core," he whispered as he carried me to our room, the one I'd stayed sleeping in even after he'd left. He placed me on the bed and laid over me, kissing me desperately once again.

**SMUT!! ENJOY MY LOVES XD**

The feeling of him pressed against me was driving me wild, having missed him so much. "Please, need you," I whispered pleadingly and he pulled back a little, looking at me cautiously. "Are you sure baby boy?" he asked and my heart skipped a beat as he called me the only nickname he ever called me in bed.

"Yes Daddy," I whispered, wanting to feel the protection he always gave me when he was around. He took care of me, and I wanted that again. He nodded, pressing kisses to my mouth quickly as he trailed down my jaw and neck, latching onto that one spot that sent tingles through my entire body.

I whimpered, pressing my hips up into his. He grabbed my hips, holding them down and saying softly, "Don't move baby, I want this to last." I nodded and stilled my body, letting him tug off my shirt and kiss his way down my chest and stomach. He paused as he noticed that my ribs were showing, evidence of how little I'd been eating the last couple years.

"I'm so sorry baby boy, but I promise I'm here to stay," he said softly, kissing my torso all over. Tears filled my eyes and I reached down, tugging him up and pressing my mouth against his needful. He kissed back just as desperately, his hands tangling in my hair.

He pushed down my sweat pants and boxers, myself internally grateful that I still showered everyday and made sure to keep myself clean. He kissed his way down to my prick, wrapping his hand around it and bringing his lips to my head sucking lightly.

I whimpered, but didn't grab onto his hair. I remembered that he didn't like it when I moved my arms so I made sure to keep them above my head, my hips twitching as I fought the instinct to thrust up into his mouth. But I lost that battle as he bobbed his head down, tongue swirling around my tip and shaft.

I felt that coil and knew I needed to warn him so I gasped, "D-Daddy, close, _please_." He pulled his mouth away and looked up at me, lips red as he moved back up my body and kissing me heatedly. He pulled away and said softly, "You can grab me, it's alright. Tonight, it's just us. Nothing extra, okay?"

I blinked at him but nodded, hesitantly wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss, intoxicated by his lips. He pulled away and stood up, removing his clothes quickly before laying back down on top of me, wrapping a hand around both of our pricks and moving them together. I whimpered, the feelings so strong after so long of nothing.

He closed his eyes in pleasure, his mouth parted slightly as his hips moved against mine. "You feel so good baby boy," he said softly, leaning down and kissing up my neck again. I moaned, my hands tangling in his hair and tugging on it lightly.

He pulled away again and asked, "The lube is in the same place, right?" I nodded and he reached into the bedside table, pulling out the small bottle and sitting back. He covered his fingers and I spread my knees, giving him better access. I needed him inside me so badly, I felt like that 25 year old boy who had gotten to taste him for the first time ever.

He pressed the finger in and I winced, the burn slight but still there. It had been way too long. "Relax baby boy," he said softly and I listened, forcing my body to relax as he started moving the finger inside me. The pain lessened and he added a second one, pumping his hand a couple times before curving his fingers in that way I hadn't felt in too long.

I cried out as he brushed that one spot that sent stars across my vision, unable to help it as my body arched in pleasure. "M-More, please," I begged and he added the third, massaging my prostate with all three and I writhed under his body, needing _more._

"Daddy,  _please_ , get in me please," I begged after several seconds of this torture and he smiled faintly, making my heart skip a beat as I looked at this expression again. He pulled his fingers out of me, making me whine at the loss. He coated himself and leaned over me, guiding himself into me.

I winced again, subconsciously tensing up as he slipped past the first ring of muscle. "Relax baby boy, okay? You're okay," he said softly, pressing gentle kisses all over my face. I relaxed finally and he continued to push in after receiving a nod from me, kissing me gently to distract me from the pain.

He bottomed out and let out a soft gasp, resting his forehead on mine. "I've missed this, I've missed you, so much," he said quietly and I nodded, a smart ass remark on the tip of my tongue about how he could have prevented it by not leaving me but then he shifted slightly to kiss me and brushed up against my prostate, making me gasp and lose track of what I was going to say.

"Move," I gasped instead and he nodded, pulling out until only his tip was in me before thrusting gently in. "Faster Daddy, please," I begged but was disappointed when he shook his head. "This is going to be slow. I'm not going to fuck you, I'm going to make love to you, Dan Howell," he said softly and I melted against his chest as he started moving again in the same, slow, steady pace.

He kissed me deeply, shifting his angle so that with every thrust he brushed against my prostate, making me groan into his lips. I clung to his shoulders, feeling instead of a tidal wave of pleasure like before but instead a steady wave of pleasure rolling over me.

"I-I need," I gasped as I felt that coil in my stomach, needing more. He wrapped his hand around me as his thrusts picked up just a little. "Go ahead baby boy, I'll catch you when you fall," he said softly and I gave a loud cry as I came over both of our chests, the pleasure pulsing through me longer than ever.

He moaned into my ear as he came inside me, his hips stuttering through his steady pace, brushing my prostate again and sending another wave of pleasure through me. I whimpered, my body shaking as I slowly came down from my high, feeling him pull of out of me and move to lay next to me. He carefully wiped me down with his shirt and pulled me tightly against him.

**END SMUT LOVE YOU ALL!! :***

I felt tears prick at my eyes again, burying my face in his chest. "I love you so much, Phil, so much," I whispered brokenly and he kissed my hair, holding me as if I would disappear the second he let go. "I love you too, Bear, so much," he whispered and I let out a small sob at the nickname I'd missed so much. I hadn't let anyone call me that after Phil left, it was his name only.

He held me tightly and kissed my hair, forehead, cheeks, and lips several times as if he were trying to memorise me all over again. I kissed him, putting all the love I could in it and tried to get my body to touch as much of him as I could, twining our legs and keeping my chest pressed against his.

I knew that in the morning things would be different, but for right now, in this very moment with my Lion wrapped up in my arms, I was happy. I felt whole again, something I hadn't felt in 5 years. I had my Hakan back, and gods be damned I would ever let him go again.


	12. Epilogue: ...And Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the years have passed and our favourite couple have a couple additions to their family!

**_3 years later_ **

**_Phil's POV_ **

Three years since I got my Bear back, and life was so much better. I'd proposed a year after I'd returned, and he'd said no. He said no the first three times, but eight months ago, he finally said yes. I understood why he said no, but it didn't mean it still didn't hurt.

But we'd gotten married 3 months ago after a 5 month engagement, only our friends and family there. Tyler, Troye, Marzia, Felix, Louise, Joey, Daniel, Chris, PJ, all their kids, my parents and brother, Dan's parents and siblings, just us. It was small, but seeing Dan with that bright smile on his face was the best memory I had so far.

Today, we were at the adoption agency to finalise the papers to adopt a 3 month old little girl with dark curly hair and bright blue eyes and her 1 year old brother with dark curly hair and brown eyes. They looked like the mixture of us and we'd fallen in love the second we'd seen them the first day we'd come two weeks ago.

We spent every day with them since we last saw them and the little boy, who was named Adam, had already started calling Dan 'Da' and me 'Phi'. The little girl, who's name was Jasmine, always got a bright smile on her face when she saw us and today, we were taking them home.

We would have monthly check ups for the first year from the agency to make sure we were taking care of them and that they were happy. We'd changed Dan's old room into a nursery with two cribs we'd gotten from Tyler and Troye and several other objects Mum had saved from when I was a kid for Adam. 

Chris and PJ had given us clothes and other small things for a little girl and we'd only had to buy a couple things. They'd thrown us a 'baby shower' even though we weren't actually having a baby, just adopting one, but I think Tyler just wanted an excuse to throw a party.

We finished signing the papers and the woman smiled brightly, saying, "Congratulations, Jasmine and Adam are now Lesters." I smiled excitedly and took Dan's hand as she led us to the back room where Jasmine and Adam were waiting for us. "Da! Phi!" Adam cheered, raising his hands for me to pick him up and Dan picked up Jasmine.

"Hey there little guy, ready to go home?" I asked, tickling his stomach. He beamed, nodding quickly as he stuck his fist in his mouth. Jasmine was watching us with wide blue eyes as she tugged on Dan's necklace, the same one we'd made all those years ago in that cell. He still wore it everyday, and only took it off to shower.

We carried them out of the building, Chris, PJ, and their daughter Ashley waiting for us by the car. They had said they only wanted to come to show us how to correctly buckle in a three month old but I was sure they just wanted to meet the little ones.

"Hi there Jazzy! I'm Uncle Chris!" Chris cooed as he took the little girl from Dan's arms and smiled down at the wide eyed little girl. "Cri," Adam mumbled, pointing at Chris. I chuckled and said, "Yes, Adam, that's Uncle Chris. This is your Uncle PJ." "Peej!" he said happily and I laughed, kissing his forehead.

Dan smiled fondly at the little boy, shaking his head. "He already knows your nickname, Peej," he said amused and PJ shrugged, picking up his daughter and saying, "It's not that hard to figure out." I laughed and said, "That's Ashley, can you say hi?" to Adam who just stared at her with wide eyes.

"Shi!" he said finally and I laughed, Chris saying, "Close enough. Ready to take these two little ones home?" I nodded happily, adjusting my hold on Adam so I could set him into the toddler's seat I'd put into the back of the car. Dan and Chris had walked around to the other side so he could show Dan how to securely buckle in Jasmine.

Adam giggled as I buckled him in, his arms held out as he cheered, "Phi! Howd!" I chuckled and kissed his forehead, saying, "Not right now bud, we need to get you home first, okay?" He blinked at me confused for a second before noticing Dan on the other side, brightening up and saying excitedly, "Da!"

Dan laughed lightly and pressed a kiss to Jasmine's head before getting into the passenger side of the car, myself getting into the driver's seat. Chris and PJ would be driving behind us in their car.

We started down the road, heading to the same apartment Dan and I had lived in for almost 9 years now. I knew our friends would be there waiting to welcome the new additions to our family and I hoped they would be mostly quiet as it might scare Jasmine.

We pulled into the parking lot and got out, Dan getting Adam and myself getting Jasmine. She beamed at me and took a hold of my shirt with her little fingers. I grabbed her other hand and kissed it, making her giggle again at me. Dan smiled and we headed inside with Chris, PJ and Ashley.

I opened the door and Adam looked around with wide eyes as he noticed all the people in the room. The whole gang and their kids were there and Adam hid his face shyly in Dan's shirt, making Marzia, Louise and Tyler 'awe'.

"Hey there little guy, I'm Tyler, you don't have to be shy," Tyler said softly to Adam and he peeked out at him, brown eyes curious. Troye had walked over and was now holding Jasmine's hand, smiling softly as Marzia, Louise, Johnnie, Troye and Joey crowded around me and the little girl, everyone else around Dan and Adam.

"What's her name again?" Louise asked and I said, "This is Jasmine Ivory Lester, and that little boy playing peek a boo with Tyler is Adam Avery Lester." She smiled fondly at my proud tone and said, "They're adorable, and look like a perfect mixture of you two. Can I hold her?"

I laughed lightly and nodded, carefully passing the little girl over to my friend. While she, Troye and Marzia cooed over her, Joey and Johnnie moved to me. "How did they end up in the agency?" Joey asked quietly and I said, "Their parents had died in a car wreck only two weeks after Jazzy was born. They didn't have anyone else to take them so they ended up there."

He nodded, watching fondly as Daniel tickled Adam, the little boy in Tyler's arms. "Uncle Phil!" Jamie Preda squealed, the little boy throwing himself on my legs. I laughed lightly and ruffled the 7 year old's hair. "Hey there big boy, how was school today?" I asked, kneeling down to his height. He was Joey's and Daniel's little boy, having adopted him after Daniel's sister and brother in law passed away, and he looked so much like Daniel it was insane.

"I can count to 10!" he said excitedly and I gasped playfully, saying, "Really? Let's hear it then." He beamed and carefully counted to ten, looking up expectantly once he finished. "Good job Jamie! How about I give you a cookie for doing so well," I said, stage whispering the last part as if it were a secret.

His eyes lit up and he nodded excitedly. "Now?" he asked and I laughed, shaking my head. "How about after dinner? We don't want to ruin your appetite now do we?" I said amused and he shook his head, running off to find Felix's and Marzia's son, Ashton.

I stood back up and Joey said, "So you're the one always getting him hyped up on sugar." I smiled innocently at him and said, "I don't know what you mean." He rolled his eyes and said, "Well, when you need me to baby sit your kids, I'll be doing the same thing right before I send them home."

I laughed, loving the idea that these two little ones were now my kids. I watched as Adam yawned in Tyler's arms, reaching out for Dan sleepily. Dan took him carefully and said softly, "Ready for a nap?" He nodded, resting his head on Dan's shoulder. I looked over at the girls and noticed that Jasmine had fallen asleep in Marzia's arms.

I smiled and walked over, Marzia looking up with a sparkle in her eye. "Let me take her, I'm going to put her down in her crib," I said and she nodded, handing my daughter to me. I carefully held her so she wouldn't wake up and followed Dan to the nursery, where he was already settling Adam down in the crib.

He ran a hand over the small boy's hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead, whispering, "Sweet dreams." Adam smiled and reached up, pressing a kiss to Dan's nose before curling up. "Ni't, Da," he whispered and Dan smiled fondly, carefully covering him up and turning on the mobile above his head.

He turned around and jumped as he noticed I was standing there, rocking Jasmine softly in my arms. "Jesus, Phil, you scared me," he said quietly, walking over and smiling as he noticed Jasmine was asleep. "You putting her down for a nap too?" he asked and I nodded, walking over to the other crib, carefully laying her down.

She yawned in her sleep and turned her head, her hand holding onto one of the small stuffed animals we had placed in her crib. I smiled softly and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her forehead before stepping away, turning on the mobile above her head and then the baby monitor.

Dan wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder. "Who would have thought we would have two kids?" he asked quietly and I smiled, kissing his hair. "No matter who thought what, we have them now," I said softly and he smiled, lifting his head to kiss me softly. "Let's go make sure everyone else isn't getting into mischief," he said amused and I nodded, dimming the lights in the nursery and leaving the door opened just a little as we left.

As soon as we reached the living room, however, we found ourselves wrapped up in a group hug. "Welcome to parenthood, glad you have decided to join the club bros," Felix said amused and I rolled my eyes amused.

Everyone stuck around until about 10 that night, Dan and I having gone to get Adam and Jasmine after they'd woken up after about an hour. I gave Jamie his cookie, which meant all the kids wanted one, so I ended up giving them all out to the kids old enough.

That night after we'd put the kids back down for bed, Dan and I went to bed. My Bear had curled up against my chest like he always did and fell asleep rather quickly. I stayed awake a little longer, marvelling at how my life has turned out.

At first, I was an outcast, terrified of getting too close to anyone at a young age in case they ever found out about my ability. Then many years later, I met the most beautiful man in my life, but terrified to make any kind of move until I discovered his ability. The time in the cell almost 9 years ago now had just made us closer than ever.

Jackson, myself leaving those 5 years, the wariness that lasted a year between me and Dan, it all came together in the end. I had my beautiful husband asleep in my arms, my two children in the other room, and my life was good now.

And it all started with two words in a protected room, Ryo and Hakan.


End file.
